Reliving the Past, Present, and Future (A Harry Potter FanFic)
by LeviosaScarlet198
Summary: After being taken to the House of Black in his 5th year, Harry Potter recieves 7 books and a note. As everyone is transported to the ROR to read the books new romances start to flare, stories are shared, and secrets from the past revealed. Will Harry feel the pain of the past? Will Harry and Voldemort meet earlier than planned? Is there a betrayer in their midsts? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1: Light Reading

**All rights belong to JK Rowling.**

Things were especially tense in the House of Black as two teenage wizards were being yelled at by another who is formally known as Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived or the Chosen One. Hermione Granger who had a large quantity of bushy hair and Ronald Weasley who was gangly with shocking red hair were frozen as if they had been petrified.

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE NICKING PAPER OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON-"

"We wanted to – "

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER-"

"No honest – "

"Harry, we're really sorry!" said Hermione desperately, her eyes now sparkling with tears. "You're absolutely right, Harry – I'd be furious if it was me!"

Harry glared at her, his shining green eyes, so similar to his mothers, turned away from them, as he paced up and down and put a hand through his black untidy hair, before piercing them with another look as he organized his thoughts.

"What _is_ this place anyway" he shot at Ron and Hermione.

"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," said Ron at once.

"It's a secret society," said Hermione quickly before Harry could open his mouth. "Dumbledore was the founder and is in charge. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."

Harry glared at them after a short pause.

"_Well?"_ he demanded, looking from one to the other.

"Er," said Ron. "Well what?"

"_Voldemort!"_ said Harry furiously as Ron and Hermione winced. "What's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"

"We've _told_ you, the Order don't let us in on their meetings," said Hermione nervously. "So we don't know the detail – AARGH!"

With two loud cracks, Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers, had materialized out of thin air in the middle of the room. Pig, Ron's owl, twittered more wildly than ever and zoomed off to join Hedwig, Harry's beloved white owl, on top of the wardrobe.

"Stop _doing_ that!" said Hermione weakly to the twins, who were as wildly red-haired as Ron, though stockier and slightly shorter. Harry went to go sit on Ron's bed, knowing that the pacing wasn't helping and Ron cautiously did the same.

"Hello, Harry," said George, beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up you anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

Before Harry could reply grumpily back there was another loud _crack_ (making even Fred and George jump) and a large bundle materialized onto Harry's lap.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Ron before toppling off the bed making Fred and George snicker.

"What have you got there, Harry?" asked Hermione cautiously.

Harry looked at the bundle wrapped in gold ribbons, his anger momentarily forgotten. It appeared to be just a bunch of books that Hermione would call _light reading, _but as Harry looked closer at the titles he couldn't stop his mouth from falling open.

_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, _(Harry couldn't stop himself from going pale at that title), _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, _and_ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

"Impossible," breathed Harry, mortified at the thought that all these books are possibly all about him.

Another loud crack, making Ron almost fall off the bed again, appeared a letter that floated gracefully down on top of the books.

"Harry, what - ?"started Hermione bewildered, but Harry ignored her as his hands grabbed the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_This may seem blunt and hard to believe, but I'm YOU four years into the future! (Hermione thought I should be more subtle, but there's no beating around the bush!)_

_These books are all about you starting from when we're eleven up to seventeen (sadly). Hermione, Ron and I (but mostly Hermione) created these books because we feel that some deaths were unnecessary. The war, by the way, is finally over, but many lives were lost and I still blame myself for every single one._

_Please change the future for the better and you might as well forgive Hermione and Ron about ignoring you this summer on Dumbledore's orders. (They really do care for you). _

_The following people will be transported to the Room of Requirement or as some know as the "come and go" room in five minutes. _

_Harry Potter and Ginvera Weasley_

_Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger_

_Fred and George Weasley_

_Molly and Arthur Weasley_

_Bill and Charlie Weasley_

_Sirius Black_

_Remus Lupin and Tonks_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Percy Weasley _

_Mad-Eye Moody_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

_Narcissa and Draco Malfoy_

_Severus Snape_

_(Some people might be added later)_

_Make sure you tell everyone that their wands will be useless. (Tell Ron and Sirius especially that there WILL be a kitchen). Also, time will be stopped so no need to worry about missing anything (Hermione should be pleased at that because our fifth year O.W.L.'s are coming up!)_

_Read the books in order and try not to feel too embarrassed that they're all about you._

_Please change the future for the better!_

_From the future YOU_

By the time Harry was done reading the letter he was gawking and staring at the books in horror.

_Many people dead? Books all about him?_

Before anyone could comment on Harry's strange behavior, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George were starting to glow a blue-ish hue like a port key.

"Wicked!" said Fred and George, beaming at each other.

Harry felt a pull near his naval and everyone disappeared with another loud _crack.  
_

This was/is previously on Wattpad, but because of copyright issues I'm slowly moving it to this site! Please do not copy this story and comments are sooo much appreciated!((: You can fan me on Wattpad: kaitlanejkilgore29

On Wattpad I also have another story on there that is more MINE then JK Rowling, which you can feel free to check out(:

If you have no idea what Wattpad is, I pity you, and recommend that you go get an account. Siriusly.

This fan fiction has gotten deleted from here BUT that was not the site it was because I forgot to agree to Guidelines...

SO! Thanks for reading and reviews and HELPFUL critiscm is appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2: The Boy Who Lived

Harry landed face down on the floor breathing heavily, his heart pounding, as he shook his head thinking that this must be another vivid dream.

"Merlin's beard," groaned Ron as he got up and gave Harry a hand.

Harry nodded his thanks and looked around the room in disbelief.

Every single person that the letter said that was going to be here _was._

Harry took in the room quickly. He counted twenty-one comfortable arm chairs in a circle and in a nearby room held a large rectangular table and an expensive looking kitchen. There was also another closed door that had a sign stating:** Private Meetings**.

"What in the name of Merlin's saggy left – "

"Ginny!" admonished Mrs. Weasley who was scowling at her only daughter.

Many exclaims of shock and outrage were bouncing around as many took out their wands pointing them in all corners of the room.

"For kidnapping a Ministry official there is going to be severe punishment for the person who did this." said Percy pompously.

Many _shut up's _were said around the room.

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure of how to start. "Er – Professor?" asked Harry, looking at his headmaster who was looking utterly bemused with the situation.

"Yes, Harry?" asked Dumbledore politely, looking over the top of Harry's head.

"I – I got a letter and seven books form my future self." said Harry quietly, unsure why Dumbledore wasn't looking at him.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at Harry with such intensity he could feel his face starting to redden.

"That's ridiculous, Harry!" spoke up Hermione at once coming over to him.

Harry quickly handed her the letter and she seemed to still be in shock as the letter was passed around the room ending with Dumbledore whose blue eyes were twinkling as he stroked his silver-white beard.

"Obviously, we have some reading to do!" said Dumbledore in a cheery voice before taking a seat in one of the red arm chairs.

Wordlessly, everyone did the same as they seemed to be stunned into silence.

Narcissa, Draco, and Snape were sneering slightly, though no one as much a Draco, as they sat down last.

_More attention for Potter, _thought Snape with loathing as Dumbledore picked up the first and shortest book.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and started to read.

"**The Boy Who Lived"**

"Wonder who that is?" asked Fred and George innocently.

Harry was sure that he wasn't going to like these books one bit.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione groaned quietly.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

"They must have a boring life," mused Sirius as he lay back comfortably in the arm chair.

"You have no idea," muttered Harry darkly.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"What are drills?" asked Tonks curiously, her hair bubblegum pink today.

As soon as the question was spoken a Muggle dictionary appeared on Tonks' lap.

"Wicked!" said Tonks grinning as she flicked through it. Arthur's fingers twitched.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache.**

"He sounds lovely, Harry," said Ginny seriously.

"If we are going to comment on every single sentence we will be here for a very long time." said Snape clearly as he glared at the book in pure loathing.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on neighbors. The Dursley's had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the twins all snorted loudly at this.

**The Dursley's had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

Sirius looked ready to protest, but Lupin shot his a friend a look.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. **

"They know how to dress like Muggles more than most people," said Lupin, roling his eyes.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like, _what, _exactly," said Sirius and Lupin in dangerous tones.

Harry couldn't help but cringe into the arm chair.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, **

"Is my tie too boring?" inquired Fred looking down at his Gryffindor tie.

"Nah, I think it is far too exciting for my tastes," said George in a perfect impression of Percy.

**And Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. **

"Lovely boy," said Charlie cheerfully, making Hermione snort. Charlie glanced at her and couldn't help but feel his stomach churn.

**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, **_**looking **_**at the sign; cats couldn't read maps **_**or **_**signs.**

"Minnie!" yelled Sirius, making people jump as he did a cat call.

"I don't know why you would think it is me, Mr. Black, and don't call me Minnie." said Minerva sternly. Fred and George grinned at each other with mischief clearly in their eyes. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling rapidly.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something…yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"What a horrible man!" muttered Mrs. Weasley.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

"—**yes, their son, Harry —"**

Many of the adult's faces were going pale as they realized what day was being described by the Muggle. Hermione caught on quickly and was also starting to pale.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"Yes!" yelled Ron doing a punch in the air.

"It's a figure of speech, Ronald." said Hermione amused as everyone started laughing.

Ron's ears were starting to turn red.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind.**

**He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking... No, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"Actually- "started Hermione, but was interrupted when Charlie put a hand over her mouth. Harry and Ron both mouthed "_Thanks." _

Hermione glared playfully at Charlie which only made him grin. Hermione looked away hurriedly, not sure if she wanted to admit to herself that she liked his smile. No, she was being stupid. She liked Ron… right? She glanced quickly at Charlie again. He looked like Bill except for the fang earing and his hair wasn't as long. Charlie's smile seemed to be more forthcoming and he was slightly easier going. He also had scars and burn marks on his arms from the dragons in Romania. He was more sturdy and muscled than Ron.

Charlie caught Hermione looking at him and both looked away blushing.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. **

"Does he even know your name?" asked Hermione disapproving.

"Er – I'm not actually sure." admitted Harry. He was always called "boy"…

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"Harvey Potter," said George as if he was testing the name.

"Harold Potter," said Fred in the same tone as his brother.

"Doesn't quite have the same ring to it," they said together making Harry roll his eyes at the twin's antics as everyone laughed. (Besides Snape, because he never laughs and Percy because he's too stuck up and Narcissa and Draco because they're so much more mature [insert sarcasm])

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... **

Sirius growled at the book, while Lupin and Snape's eye twitched.

**But all the same, those people in cloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. "Sorry," he grunted,**

"That's a first," whispered Harry to Ginny which made her laugh.

**As the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

"Dedalus Diggle, he never had much sense." murmured Minerva to Mrs. Weasley who both shared knowing looks.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"What!?" yelled Fred and George as they pretended to faint.

There were many eye rolls around the room, but this was starting to worry some people about the Dursley's.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood -was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Definitely Minnie!" yelled Sirius and the twins earning themselves a glare from the Professor as they gave each other high-fives. Lupin and Harry shook their heads amused.

**Was this normal cat behavior?**

Sirius opened his mouth, but was silenced by a look from Minerva and Mrs. Weasley.

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

"Hey Forge, wasn't our first word "boom"?" asked George.

"I think it was Gred. We blew up the prat's favorite teddy bear." replied Fred as they both showed Cheshire smiles.

Half the room snorted and Percy was muttering angrily under his breath. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were looking pale at the mention of their son, not daring to even look at him.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern. The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **

**"Well, Ted, "said the weatherman,**

"Hey! That's my dad!" said Tonks proudly as she grinned.

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!**

"That wasn't me." said Kinsgley, his deep voice carrying around the room making people jump as most forgotten he was there.

Most of the adults snorted quietly as Harry caught a few words from the muttering: "_Too much Firewhisky."_

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight. "**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Muttering started to break out and with the glares that were being directed toward the book, Harry was surprised it wasn't on fire yet.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... Shooting stars... And there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today... "**

"He's scared of his own wife. Dominance mate, dominance." said Sirius sadly before cowering from the glares of all women in the room.

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

**"Well, I just thought... Maybe... It was something to do with... You know... Her crowd."**

"Her crowd?!" yelled many people angrily.

Lupin shot a look to Harry. _These_ are the people he lives with?

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.**

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son -he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me. "**

"It's better than Dudley." sniffed Ginny angrily before realizing what she said and blushed.

The Weasley's, besides Ron and Percy, were exchanging knowing looks.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly.** **"Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there.**

**It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... If it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"Could he be anymore over dramatic?" sneered Draco.

"You're one to talk!" shot back Hermione and Harry.

Dumbledore ignored the bickering and continued to read.

**The Dursley's got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them... How very wrong he was.**

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.**

Before Sirius could even think of a comment, Minerva had already pierced him with a glare.

Bill thought about asking, but decided against it. Though it would explain why he always got caught sneaking out after hours…

**It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.**

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"DUMBLEDORE!" cheered most of the room as the man in question smiled as his eyes twinkled more than usual.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

Fred and George whistled, but stopped almost immediately from a look from their mother.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. **

**He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"What _is_ that Professor?" asked Bill, speaking up for the first time.

"It's called a Deluminator." replied Dumbledore simply.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement.**

**Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.**

**He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"I _told_ you it was Minnie!" said Sirius proudly.

"No one disagreed with you, Sirius," said Harry, earning himself a playful glare from his God-father.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. **

"Green is your favorite color, Professor." said Harry wisely, making many raise their eyebrows including a shocked Minerva.

**Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked. **

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

Many people laughed and Harry couldn't help but feel happy. Thoughts of Cedric suddenly intruded into his head that he would never be able to laugh again instantly spoiled Harry's mood. Lupin and Sirius gave each other confused looks.

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here. "**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right, " she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news. "She jerked her head back at the Dursley's dark living-room window."I heard it. Flocks of owls... Shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense. "**

Kingsley was shifting guiltily in his seat.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Eleven years?" asked Ron surprised. The adults nodded somberly.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors. "**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

"I wish," muttered Harry.

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" asked Mr. Weasley excitedly.

"It's a Muggle sweet." said Hermione as Dumbledore reached into his cloak for the said sweets.

"Do you honestly think it was the right moment for a Muggle sweet, Professor?" asked Tonks amused.

**"A what?"**

Several people chuckled.

**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"**

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. **

Everyone looked at Tonks and laughed making her hair turn into a brighter pink.

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort. "**

Many people flinched and Ron almost fell out of his chair. Harry rolled his eyes. It's just a name!

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name. "**

More people flinched, which made Harry angrier.

"IT'S JUST A BLOODY NAME!" shouted Harry finally. Everyone stared at him, but he looked stubbornly away as most were exchanging uneasy glances.

"**I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know-oh, all right, Voldemort was frightened of. "**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because you're too noble to use them," muttered Charlie loudly.

"**Only because you're too - well - noble to use them,"**

The _mature_ adults snorted while the teens and Sirius laughed as Charlie turned the famous Weasley red. He was mostly blushing because he thought Hermione had a nice laugh.

"_Snap out of it."_ muttered Charlie to himself, which Bill had heard making him raise an eyebrow.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs. "**

Everyone laughed, besides Percy, Narcissa (who was having a difficult time keeping herself looking indifference), Draco, and Snape.

"Too much information, sir!" chortled the twins.

Dumbledore merely chuckled.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

Everyone stopped laughing at once.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. **

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead."**

Everyone bowed their heads and shot pitying looks toward Harry who was carefully studying his shoes.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. "Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus... "**

"I don't think James knew how much you cared about him," said Sirius with a small smile, wanting to keep strong for Harry. "Even when you docked us off points you were his favorite teacher."

Minerva blinked back the tears that suddenly glistened in her eyes before nodding to Sirius.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know... " he said heavily. **

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry."**

Once again Harry carefully looked away from the looks of everyone in the room.

Snape was raising an eyebrow. _Didn't he like attention? No, of course he did. He's just trying to get sympathy. _Snape nodded knowing that had to be the answer.

"**But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."**

"There's got to be more to the story." said Tonks wisely, while Harry silently agreed with her.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. "It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... All the people he's killed... He couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... Of all the things to stop him... But how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"That's what everyone would like to know." muttered half the room.

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

Harry shot a look at his Headmaster who was ignoring him which only angered Harry further.

_He knows, he just won't tell me, _thought Harry bitterly.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now. "**

People started frowning as they glanced at Dumbledore.

"You're leaving him with Wizard haters?" asked Narcissa shocked, the words "Wizard hater" sounding strange upon her lips.

Many people looked surprisingly at her because they all thought she was a soulless witch like her sister. Even Draco was surprised his mother was showing sympathy. Sirius knew that this was the real Cissy and after she married Malfoy she changed. Sirius gave her a smile which she hurriedly returned.

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"I tried taking you," said Sirius painfully as Harry looked at him shocked. I was at the house a little after it had happened." Sirius' fists were clenched tightly as if what he saw had caused him physical pain. "Hagrid was already there and I asked him for you, saying I was your God-father after all, but he said he was acting on Dumbledore's orders." His eye flashed over to the Headmaster who was merely looking at the opposite wall in polite disinterest. "I lent him my bike and it was shortly after you left when I had figured out who had sold James and Lily out." Sirius was having a mad glint in his eye as he spoke with a dangerous tone.

Harry cautiously got up and gave Sirius a quick hug which calmed Sirius down quite fast. He gave Harry a thankful look before Harry went back to his seat with his thoughts.

_If only Hagrid had given me to Sirius I would have been having a Dursley-free life, _thoughtHarry sadly.

**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter. "**

"A letter!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley as everyone's frowns deepened. Arthur pulled Molly into a one armed hug.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future –"**

Fred and George shared a look before grinning.

Harry glared at them. "No," he said simply.

"C'mon Harrykins!" begged the twins.

"No," repeated Harry with finality, while the teens tried hiding their smiles.

"The paper work got lost somewhere." reassured Kingsley before nodding to Dumbledore to continue.

"**There will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

Harry couldn't help but silently agree. Would he be a git if he knew he was famous or would he still be like he is right now?

Hermione suddenly smacked the back of Harry's head making many mouths open in shock.

"Hermione, what was that for?" yelled Harry bewildered.

"I know what you were thinking, Harry, and it's not true." said Hermione angrily.

Harry looked away, ignoring her.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?"**

"I still didn't agree." muttered Minerva.

**She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." said Harry automatically.

"Just don't give him a large brandy." whispered Lupin in Sirius' ear, making him snort loudly.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life, " said Dumbledore.**

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place, " said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"I never did get that back." muttered Sirius to Lupin.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.**

"This book makes Hagrid seem creepy." said Hermione, frowning.

"Not as creepy as spiders," said Ron as he shivered. Hermione laughed, which made Charlie frown. Bill eyes were flicking back and forth between the three.

**In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. "Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir, " said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir. "**

**"No problems were there?"**

"**No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin'around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol. "**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. "**

"Aww," cooed all the women in the room, making Harry's face start to redden as Ron laughed.

"**Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever. "**

Harry grimaced at that as he remembered all of the pain that scar caused.

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"Really didn't need to know that!" said Bill and Charlie as Fred and George yelled "Wicked!"

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with. "**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. "Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

Harry laughed suddenly at the offensive expression on Sirius' face.

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry, "sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found, " Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep,**

"What!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, Cissy, Tonks, Sirius, Ginny and Hermione.

"You left him on a doorstep!?" yelled Hermione outraged. "It was supposed to rain!"

At this reminder made the muttering get louder. Dumbledore thought it was wise to keep reading.

**Took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"The tragedy!" said the twins in mock horror as they clutched their chests, relieving some of the tension in the room. Sirius was still looking livid.

**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "That's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations. "**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall, "said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... **

Sirius growled loudly, feeling like a bloody idiot that he went after that rat.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly, apparently oblivious to the intensity of the glares directed toward him, as he turned the page.

"Who would like to read next?"

Hermione's hand immediately shot up in the air to no one's surprise.

"Only you," said Charlie, patting the top of her head. Hermione beamed at him as a blush slowly crawled up her cheeks. Bill was raising an eyebrow as he studied his brother, while Ron was studying Hermione with suspicion.

Dumbledore carefully tossed the book to Hermione which slipped right through her fingers and was caught easily by Charlie from playing Quidditch.

Hermione nodded her thanks while Charlie beamed, missing the glare his brother Ron was directing toward him.

_And so it begins… _thought Bill wryly.

WOOT another chap. Comments below if you liked it, please, with a Nargle on top?(:


	3. Chapter 3: The Vanishing Glass

"**The Vanishing Glass," **readHermione.

"Accidental magic, right?" asked Sirius, looking hopeful.

Harry suddenly paled. Everyone is going to find out about his sleeping arrangements.

Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and Lupin looked questionably at Harry who was stubbornly looking at the floor.

Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly and started to read.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.**

"Er - sorry to interrupt," said Ron, not looking sorry at all. "But after this chapter can we eat?" asked Ron, looking hopeful. Sirius' mood perked up at the thought of Molly's cooking.

Hermione gave Ron a stern look that was comparable to McGonagall, but the twitch in her lips let Harry know that she was amused.

This didn't improve Charlie's mood.

Bill vowed to talk to Charlie after the chapter.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into the living-room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr Dursley had seen the fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink ball wearing different-colored bobble hats.**

Hermione suddenly giggled. "Harry, I love your descriptions."

**But Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby and now the photographs showed a large, blonde boy riding his first bicycle, on a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

The adults in the room all raised their eyebrows. _Where's Harry?_

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day.**

"I pity you Potter," said Snape suddenly making everyone in the room stare at him in shock. Snape mentally kicked himself.

_Tuney had the worst voice, even worse than Potter,_ thought Snape grudgingly.

Harry was still looking at his Potions Professor in shock. _How did he know Aunt Petunia?_

"**Up! Get Up! Now!"**

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. **

"**Up!" she screeched. **

"I can't believe you can hear that from your bed." said Hermione, mentally cringing at how loud his Aunt was.

Harry was trying not to wince.

**Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it.**

"You remember that, Potter?" asked Minerva shocked.

Harry nodded.

**He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"That's because it wasn't a dream, Harrykins," said the twins mysteriously as everyone tried not to laugh.

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

"**Nearly," said Harry. **

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon." **

"You're cooking when you're only ten!" asked Ginny and Sirius outraged.

Harry was shifting guiltily deeper into the arm chair, dreading everything in these books. Harry couldn't understand why Ginny was so mad or why his future self wanted his past self to be tortured like this.

Mrs. Weasley was mad also, but had choked back the comment.

"It's fine, really," said Harry reassuringly. Somehow, no one was assured.

"**And don't you dare burn it,"**

"I'll give you something to burn," muttered Sirius darkly. Lupin secretly agreed.

"**I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday,"**

**Harry moaned. **

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

"Hag," muttered Tonks.

"**Nothing, nothing…" **

**Dudley's birthday-how could he have forgotten? **

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders,**

"How could you be use to spiders?" asked Ron horrified.

Harry was trying to make himself small as possible.

**Because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them,**

"Son of a bitch!" yelled Hermione, her cheeks flaming in rage. Everyone's mouths popped open in shock.

"Miss Granger!" yelled Minerva and Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry," said Hermione quickly as she shot a glare at Harry.

She slowly got up and Harry made a run for it.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL US?" screeched Hermione as she ran after him as Harry ran around the circle of chairs.

"It wasn't a big deal!" yelled Harry behind him desperately as he attempted to avoid Hermione's wrath.

"NOT A BIG DEAL?" sreeched Hermione, outraged.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," yelled Ron surprised, ignoring his mother's remark about language. He picked up where she left off and suddenly was glaring at the book and then at Harry who was cowering away from Hermione.

Ron got up also and with team work cornered Harry.

Hermione grabbed Harry by the ear and dragged him into the room that was called the **Meeting Room**.

Everyone was looking quite frozen so Charlie picked up the book. He narrowed his eyes but unlike Hermione and Ron continued to read.

**And that was where he slept.**

There was complete silence, but the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

Then, "HE'S BEEN SLEEPING IN A CUPBOARD!?" yelled Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Ginny, Tonks, Lupin, and Cissy.

They all turned to glare at Dumbledore.

Meanwhile, in the **Meeting Room:**

"Why did you never mention it, mate?" asked Ron shocked. They were both crossing their arms, not even bothering to sit in the chairs that took up the whole room.

"It wasn't a big deal," muttered Harry, his face going red at the intensity of his friend's glares.

"Bloody hell, it isn't-!" yelled Hermione.

Harry quickly made a break for it as he ran out the door before shouting behind him. "It's not a big deal, drop it!" before stopping dead at all the looks in the room. Sirius and Lupin got up at the same time and both gave Harry a one-armed hug.

"You should have told us," muttered Sirius.

"It's not normal and it is child abuse for you to have endured that," muttered Lupin after Sirius.

Harry quickly shrugged them off, not looking for pity, and sat back down in his arm chair looking down at his shoes. He could still feel the stares on him.

"He can't live there anymore, Albus!" said Mrs. Weasley indignantly.

"I don't sleep in a cupboard anymore." muttered Harry.

"Doesn't matter," said Hermione seething as everyone sat back down in their arm chairs.

Snape was still a little in shock._ He wasn't pampered like his father?_

Charlie gave Hermione back the book; feeling goose bumps as their arms brushed.

Hermione cleared her throat and began to read again, her voice still thick with anger.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

More Muggle dictionaries popped out of nowhere onto almost everyone's lap making Arthur yell out in delight.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat-**

"That's an understatement," said the twins and to everyone's surprise, Arthur.

A few tense chuckled were heard around the room as Mr. Weasley looked anywhere but his wife.

**Unless it involved punching someone.**

"If it's you, I swear-" threatened Hermione and Sirius.

**Dudley's favorite punch-bag was Harry,**

Harry quickly grabbed Hermione's wrist to pull her back down into her chair and Sirius and Lupin exchanged enraged and knowing looks. A meeting with the Dursley's was slowly approaching.

**But he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard,**

Everyone glared at the book and the headmaster who was looking at the opposite wall.

**But Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinner than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

"Don't they ever buy you clothes?" asked Ginny deathly calm.

Harry's face turned into a thoughtful expression and decided not to answer.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair**

"James!" cheered Sirius and Lupin as they attempted to diffuse the tension for Harry's sake.

**And bright green eyes.**

"Lily!" cheered Sirius and Lupin. Snape quietly did in his head.

**He wore round glassed held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

"I'm going to punch _you _in the nose," muttered Sirius and Lupin darkly.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a lightning bolt.**

Ron gave Harry an incredulous look.

"I was eleven and I didn't know how I got it," defended Harry.

**He had had it as long as he could remember and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had got it. **

**"In the car crash when your parents died" she had said.**

"WHAT?!"

"A car crash…" Sirius trailed off, glowering at the book.

**"And don't ask questions."**

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

_No wonder he never asks question in class, _thoughtMinerva sadly.

Snape was thinking along the same wavelength as his collegue, but then again, he never really was encouraging…

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Not going to work!" said Sirius and the twins in a sing-song voice as they tried to lighten up the mood.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

Lupin laughed. "James would do that on purpose, trust me; it runs in all the lines of Potter's."

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Where did this wit go, Harry?" asked the twins excitedly as their eyes widened.

Harry rolled his eyes. Maybe it was because he was too busy getting in trouble, saving the wizarding world, being tortured... He glowered at the floor.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"That's more than _I_ even get," mused Draco.

"Prat," muttered Ginny and Hermione, out of hearing distance from Mrs. Weasley.

No one knew if they were saying that towards Malfoy or the Dudley in the book.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Hurry, Harry!" yelled George.

"Don't want the bacon to go to waste!" yelled Fred.

"Poor bacon," muttered Ron making Hermione snort and Charlie to turn moody.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty... thirty..."**

"Can't even count," said Mad-Eye grumpily as everyone jumped because most seemed to have forgetten he was there.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"That is no way to raise a child!" sniffed Mrs. Weasley angrily.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him."**

"His name is Harry," muttered Tonks. Her hair was a fiery red.

**She jerked her head in Harry's 's direction, Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

Sirius groaned in horror as he muttered "Damn cats." making Harry grin.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.**

Everyone rolled their eyes. Even Snape.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"Cats are plain evil," said Sirius as he shivered.

"Are you implying something, Mr. Black?" asked Minerva as she raised an eyebrow and gave him a piercing look.

Sirius gulped as everyone started turning red as they held in their laughter.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

Ron started laughing uncontrollably and Harry started looking sheepish as Hermione gave them a stern look, but it was a losing battle as her lips started twitching uncontrollably.

"Third book," said Harry before anyone could ask.

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Fred and George exchanged looks, but Mrs. Weasley caught them.

"Absolutely not!"

Fred and George started muttering under their breaths.

Ron couldn't help but pale slightly as he remembered what happened in his second year.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"She always looks like that," muttered Snape.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"He won't blow up the house!" said Ginny loudly.

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry,**

Ginny blushed as Harry chuckled.

**But they weren't listening.**

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..."**

"He's not a dog!" yelled Bill.

"Oi!" yelled Sirius offended.

Harry laughed.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"Oh for Merlin's sake," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

**"Dinky Duddydums,"**

The twins howled with laughter as they wiped tears from their eyes. "Priceless."

Ginny giggled.

"**Don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

"Horrid boy," muttered Mrs. Weasley to Minerva who nodded in agreement.

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Of course," muttered Hermione.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"Harry," asked Hermione causally, though ones that knew her could detect the undercurrent of anger. "What was the longest duration of time you've spent in the cupboard?"

"Two months," muttered Harry dully, ignoring the signs of outrage on everyone's faces.

"Two months," repeated Hermione as she glared at Harry.

Harry put a nervous hand through his hair as he pointedly looked away from everyone.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..."**

Ron snorted and Harry gave him a playful push in return.

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

"Still don't," muttered Harry, missing his friend's sad looks.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."**

"Wish I'd seen a picture of that," sneered Draco.

"I wish I had a picture of you as a ferret, but we don't always get what we want, Malfoy," Ginny shot back as everyone snickered and the smirk was wiped off Draco's face. Cissy thought about smacking Draco upside the head, but thought humiliation was punishment enough.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"The Potter hair!" cheered Sirius and Lupin. Harry looked at them with amusement. He's never seen Lupin this care free. Already he looked years younger.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Tuney knows about accidental magic," said Snape quietly. Everyone stared at him and Snape vowed to keep his thoughts to himself.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

The women in the room shivered and Fred and George pretended to faint.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry.**

The teens and Sirius started to snicker.

**Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"How in Merlin did you manage that?" asked Bill and Charlie in awe.

Harry shrugged.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors.**

"That's some impressive accidental magic, Potter." said Minerva shocked as did the rest of the adults.

Harry felt himself go red as he saw the impressed looks around him.

**Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

Ron and Hermione snorted.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

Ron and Hermione groaned.

"You jinxed it, Harry!" said Hermione as she pursed her lips in amusement.

"Nice one, mate." said Ron as he mockingly shook his head sadly.

Harry glared at his so called "best friends."

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"I think _someone_ has a crush!" said the twins and Tonks in a sing-song voice.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Nice, Harry," laughed Hermione as she rolled her eyes.

Charlie looked curiously at her. Were they just friends or did she like Harry? Charlie mentally shook himself. _Why should he care?_

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

"Over dramatic, much?" said Tonks before rolling her eyes.

"A beet with a mustache?" asked Ginny, giggling, as Harry gave her a playful glare.

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

Fred and George immediately started flicking through the Muggle dictionary as many gave them amused looks.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"The poor gorilla," said Ginny sadly as Harry snickered.

Harry didn't know how he felt about Ginny. She was Ron's sister and that's all she really was to him, right? The churning in his stomach seemed to disagree. He felt the same way when he ever looked at Cho, but thinking of her didn't seem to affect him anymore… Thinking of Cho was making him think of Cedric which made Harry cast away all thoughts from his mind.

_Was he ever going to stop blaming himself for Cedric's death?_

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him.**

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"Allowed?" scoffed Sirius.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

**After lunch they went to the reptile house.**

Harry started to move nervously in his chair.

**It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"You know it's bad when you start to compare yourself to a snake," said Charlie sadly, ignoring Snape and Draco's sneer.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's and winked.**

"But – " started Hermione, looking distraught, but stayed quiet when Harry shot her a look.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

Harry could feel stares on him as if it was making him sink deeper into the arm chair.

Hermione decided to keep reading.

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

_**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**_

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"Only _you _would start having a normal conversation with a snake about Brazil." said Sirius as he chuckled weakly.

Harry's head snapped up as he studied his God-father, looking for any signs of disgust. Sirius winked at him and nodded to Hermione to keep reading.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"That's offensive to all penguins everywhere," said Charlie haughtily as Hermione and Ginny giggled. Again, Charlie didn't see the glare directed toward him by a gangly red head.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

Harry suddenly let out an "oof" as he felt the wind being knocked out of him. Luckily no one noticed and he discreetly grabbed his stomach. He had just imagined that, right?

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

There were several cheers in the room as several gave Harry impressed looks.

"Now if Potter could do that with a wand during class…" murmured Minerva to herself.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

Several people snorted.

"What a nice snake," snickered Ginny.

"I take offense to that!" shouted Draco indignant, which made Ginny roll her eyes.

"Harry," started Ron, looking a bit peaky. "Do you reckon that snake is Nagini?"

Hermione's eyes widened in horror, but Harry shook his head in amusement.

"Nagini is a bit different than this one that's described, isn't she?" said Harry as confident as he could muster.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"It went _poof!_" said Fred beaming.

"Like magic!" said George, also beaming. Harry rolled his eyes again as people in the room chuckled.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

Many groans were exchanged around the room at the boy's luck.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," Before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

Mrs. Weasley was eyeing Harry's thin frame. _He could be fattened up a bit more_ mused Molly.

"And how long did you stay in the cupboard this time, Harry?" asked Hermione quietly.

"The rest of the school year," said Harry casually.

Everyone's mouths dropped open.

"But, you _have_ to go to school!" said Bill bewildered.

"I think I heard on the phone that they told the school I was ill or something." replied Harry as he put a hand nervously through his hair again.

Cries of outrage were exchanged in the room as Sirius and Lupin passed sour looks.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"You shouldn't _have_ to sneak food," muttered Tonks.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

Lupin's face blanched. "You remember that?" Lupin asked quietly. Harry shifted uncomfortably with the amount of staring.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all.**

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family.**

"_Someone_ didn't allow me too," said Sirius and Lupin as they shot a glare at Dumbledore who was sitting unusually silent.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look**.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE," bellowed Moody, making everyone jump as Tonks gave her mentor a sour look.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"And on that happy note, that's the end of the chapter." said Hermione, putting the book down.

"Food!" yelled Ron and Sirius out as they raced to get to the kitchen first.

Everyone chuckled and followed as they quietly discussed what they have read so far.

AAAAND another chapter… I'm going to post quite a lot and then the updates will change to once each week or every other week. Comment if you liked the chap and thanks for reading!(:


	4. Chapter 4: Letters From No One

Mrs. Weasley and surprisingly Narcissa were chatting pleasantly as they prepared supper and everyone took a seat around the table.

Bill suddenly remembered he was supposed to confront Charlie about Hermione.

"Oi, Charlie, a word?" asked Bill as he nodded his head back to the sitting room.

Charlie gave a Bill a confused look before getting up and following his older brother, highly aware that many stares were following them.

Bill stopped finally when he was out of hearing distance to the kitchen before turning around.

"What's with you and Hermione?" asked Bill with no preamble.

Taken aback, Charlie eyes widened "N – Nothing," he stuttered.

"Don't give me that load of tosh," said Bill, shooting daggers at his brother. "You like her, don't you?"

"She's too young." said Charlie defiantly.

Bill snorted, not amused. "Remus and Tonks have a bigger age difference."

Charlie was quickly side tracked. "They're together?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "It's obvious, mate."

"Only to you," muttered Charlie.

Bill pretended not to have heard him. "Don't deny it. You like Hermione Granger."

Charlie was torn. "Ron obviously likes her and maybe Harry – "

Bill cut him off. "Harry only see's her as a sister. It's obvious that Ginny and him will be paired up. Mum will be ecstatic." said Bill as he rolled his eyes.

"But Ron…"

"I thought so," said Bill hesitantly. "But with the amount of bickering those two do, I doubt their relationship will last long. I think if you got to know her better and vice-versa you two would have a real solid relationship." said Bill wisely before clapping Charlie on the back.

"When did you become Merlin?" muttered Charlie.

Bill laughed and grinned, not commenting, as Charlie silently followed Bill back to the kitchen.

Evidently, the only chairs that were available was the one next to Hermione because Bill had hurried to sit in the spot that was next to Narcissa. Charlie gave Bill a dirty look who only grinned.

Everyone looked at them confused before getting side tracked from the aroma of food. Charlie and Hermione were giving each other glances out of the corner of their eyes; neither of them noticing that the other was doing it.

Harry was shooting them glances also. He was fine with it, if his suspicions were true, but he had a feeling Ron wasn't going to be if he found out about this new development.

After a filling meal, (Sirius wouldn't stop bragging about it making Mrs. Weasley blush, but looking pleased), everyone sat down in the arms chairs.

Bill purposely sat next to Hermione on the left, after Charlie took the chair on the right, stealing Ron's spot. Ron grumpily went to go sit next to the twins as he shot Bill a dirty look that he pretended to not have seen. Hermione was oblivious.

Hermione decided to read again since no one volunteered. **"The Letters from No One."**

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Poor Mrs. Figg," said Dumbledore sadly. He was still looking at the opposite wall and was refusing to meet Harry's eye.

_Why is he ignoring me? _thought Harry with annoyance.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Does that apply to you?" sneered Draco at Harry, but lacked something that he couldn't place.

"Why isn't Ron leader then?" asked Ginny innocently, ignoring the look from said person.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

"You know what we should do, Fred?" asked George innocently.

"I think I do, George." said Fred back just as innocently.

"Duddykins Hunting!" they both yelled out with glee.

Mrs. Weasley reprimanded them with a look, but turned to her husband when she realized he was giving them a thumbs-up.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilets never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick."**

Everyone started laughing heartily. The twins were rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs.

"Where did the wit go!?" asked Fred and George in between breaths from laughing.

Lupin and Sirius exchanged a grin knowing that that was something Lily would say.

"You definitely got your mother's cheek, Potter," said Minerva as she tried to fight a smile.

Harry's face flushed.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

"Run, Forest, run!" yelled Tonks loudly in a perfect imitation of Tom Hanks.

All Muggle-borns and Half-bloods started laughing hysterically as the Pure-bloods looked around in confusion.

"What in Merlin's pants is so funny?" wondered Sirius aloud, a little put out that he didn't get the joke.

"It's a Muggle movie called Forest Gump," answered Hermione as she wiped her tears away.

The Pure bloods nodded in understanding, though some were still confused.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figgs'. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. **

"Finally!" yelled Sirius, but instantly became quiet as McGonagall shot him a look.

**She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

"Poor chocolate," blurted Lupin making Tonks laugh preceding Lupin to blush.

Sirius let out a barking laugh and Bill gave Charlie a pointed look.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

Nearly everyone was giving the book horrified looks.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"You've got to be kidding me," said Hermione and Charlie, before grinning at each other and suddenly turning away so neither saw the blush appearing on both their cheeks.

Bill laughed earning himself a kick from his brother. Ron was looking stonier by the second.

Ginny and Harry shared knowing looks as they both seemed to have suspected the same thing.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. **

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, He looked so handsome and grown-up.**

"That's revolting," said the twins as they were having difficulty containing their laughter.

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

Harry didn't restrain himself from chuckling at his cousin now.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

Many wrinkled their noses in distaste.

**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"Shame on you, Harry," said Fred and George as they mockingly glared at him.

"Yeah, and get to work on that hair, boy," said Sirius also as he mockingly glared at his God-son, playing along with the twins.

Lupin rolled his eyes at the maturity of his friend as everyone laughed.

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Everyone chuckled.

"I don't think sarcasm works well with your Aunt, Harry." spoke up Kingsley for the first time since supper.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"I seriously doubt that," muttered Ginny.

**Harry seriously doubted this,**

Ginny and Harry exchanged quick smiles.

**But thought it best not to argue. **

Ron raised an eyebrow at his friend as he tried not to laugh.

"Shut up," said Harry as he playfully glared at him.

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"He made that lump do something?" asked Bill amazed.

"The world is surely going to end!" yelled George in mock horror.

"Everyone hide!" yelled Fred in the same tone.

"Women and children first," said Sirius, playing along.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," muttered Mrs. Weasley as everyone laughed at their antics.

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

"Well, that's a downer," pouted the twins and Sirius.

"Yeah, it's safe for everyone to come out now." said Lupin as he rolled his eyes, but everyone laughed at the past maruader.

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and - a letter for Harry.**

"Hoggy, woggy Hogwarts, teach us something new!" sang the twins receiving an applause from their Headmaster as they got up and took a bow. Harry attempted to catch the headmaster's eye again, but Dumbledore had merely looked down to stare at his interlocked fingers.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? **

"Ginny," said all the Weasley boys, making said person blush furiously as she glared at them. Fred and George jumped behind their chairs and they pretended to shake with fear.

**He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

"Oh, Harry, I was meaning to ask," started Arthur, unaware of his wife's glare. "Did we put enough stamps on your letter last summer?"

Harry laughed as he remembered the letter that was sent to him from the Weasley's in the beginning of his fourth year. There had been barely any room to write the address.

"Plenty," said Harry grinning. "Though, you only needed one."

"Oh," said Arthur, turning the famous Weasley red as Mrs. Weasley muttered to herself "I _told_ him,"

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion,**

McGonagall had given everyone a look which clearly said; _if you want to live, don't speak._

**An eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes as everyone else looked around confused.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk..."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"Git," muttered almost everyone.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"Lily's temper is coming up," said Lupin and Sirius knowingly.

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

Tonks immediately changed her hair to said color making Harry grimace before she changed it back to bubble gum pink.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"**

Everyone rolled their eyes, even Percy the Prefect. Percy was having a difficult time not joining in on his family banters. _I am a Ministry official._ Percy reminded himself sternly before sitting more rigidly in his arm chair as he looked around pompously.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick. **

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

**"I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

Everyone who had known Lily couldn't help but grin.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. **

Harry winced slightly as he rubbed his neck absentmindedly. He must have a wild imagination.

**Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor. **

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

_Muggles,_ thought Narcissa with distaste as she rolled her eyes.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want-"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything..."**

**"But-"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

The affect of those last words was instantaneous as cries of outrage broke out. Harry even saw Dumbledore wince.

"Harry, did he ever beat you?" asked Sirius as black bored into green after the shouting had gone down a bit.

"Er – of course not," said Harry as he put a hand through his hair nervously. What was the big deal?

Some people were sighing in relief, but those closest to him were fuming with anger. Harry was starting to think he was going crazy as he felt like someone was poking around inside his head...

Sirius was about to yell, but Lupin gave him a look that said quite plainly; _we'll talk to him later._

Sirius nodded and leaned back weakly.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard. **

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"That's illegal!" shouted Hermione in frustration.

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

"That git had a second bedroom!?" yelled Ron and Ginny.

"RON! GINNY!" admonished Mrs. Weasley who silently agreed with them.

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.**

**Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

Hermione glared at the book, making Harry laugh.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Spoiled brat," muttered Mrs. Weasley dangerously making those closest casually edge away from her.

"Poor tortoise," muttered Charlie unaware that Hermione had heard and was now smiling.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "there's another one! 'Mr H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive - '"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

"Ah, so that's where I learned it," said Harry as he winked at his two best friends.

Ron and Hermione laughed as Sirius and Lupin gave each other worried looks for they didn't want to know.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Oh dear," said Hermione dramatically making everyone laugh as Harry glared at her.

"They're not _that_ bad," defended Harry.

"Sure they're not, mate," said Ron as he rolled his eyes.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door -**

**"AAAAARRRGH!"**

"Please be the Uncle, please be the Uncle," chanted the twins as they crossed their fingers.

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

"Yes!" said Fred and George and they got up to high-five each other. Mrs. Weasley sent them another look, making them dash back to their seats at once.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

**"I want - " he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

"That's awful," proclaimed Tonks as her hair changed to red.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Completely mental," muttered Ginny and Narcissa.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.**

**While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

Ginny sent her brothers another glare before they could open their mouths.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today-"**

"But why?" Arthur asked curiously looking from Hermione to Harry.

"Because Muggles don't get post on Sundays, like Wizards do. It's a religion sort of thing to do with the Christian Sabath," said Harry before Hermione could open her mouth.

Everyone stared at Harry. Hermione looked like she was in shock.

Harry was starting to feel uncomfortable. It wasn't like he acted stupid all the time. He _did_ go to a Muggle elementary school...

Harry cleared his throat loudly making Hermione jump. She sent him a sheepish look before continueing to read.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one –**

"The best seeker we've had!" shouted the twins proudly, trying to lift the awkwardness that was still there in the room.

"Oi!" yelled Charlie offended.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

Harry felt a jolt in his stomach, but he was sure it was his imagination. It was probably getting late…

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue.**

Everyone snorted at this. Even Snape.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**"Shake 'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"The horror!" yelled the twins.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. **

"That's hardly a meal!" yelled Sirius and Ron in disgust. Almost everyone rolled their eyes. _Boys._

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled. **

"Cry baby," sneered Draco.

"'_My father will hear about this!_'" shot Harry at him as he quoted Draco's daily saying.

"At least I don't cry in my sleep, Potter." spat Draco back.

"Enough!" yelled McGonagall with finality as the boys continued to glare at each other with loathing.

**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

"What!?" yelled half the people in the room.

Harry looked down, which made him miss all of the knowing looks between almost everyone in the room. Harry was going to get spoiled for his next birthday.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain; there was no television in there.**

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

"Cozy," said Bill and Charlie wryly.

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

Everyone frowned. _That was hardly a proper meal!_

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shrivelled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Sirius growled loudly.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. **

"Always seeing something positive," said Hermione as she rolled her eyes.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"Yes!" cheered the twins who missed the look from their mother as they bounced up and down in anticipation.

**- three... two... one...**

**BOOM.**

Everyone jumped as Hermione screamed out the word as she grinned sheepishly.

"CONSTANT VIGALENCE!" bellowed Mad-Eye just as everyone started to calm down; everyone jumped again and they all chuckled nervously.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. **

"Ooh, suspense!" yelled the twins as they both rubbed their hands together.

Hermione shyly passed the book to Charlie who grinned, making Hermione blush.

"The Keeper of Keys," started Charlie cheerfully.


	5. Chapter 5: The Keeper of Keys

"**The Keeper of Keys."** started Charlie cheerfully.

**BOOM. They knocked again.**

**Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

All Muggle-borns and Half-bloods gasped as they glared murderously at the book. The Pure-bloods looked confused, but once they found the word in the Muggle dictionary the growling seemed to get louder. Harry imagined the growling sounding like a hive filled with angry hornets.

"**Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then - SMASH! The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"HAGRID!"

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh. It's not been an easy journey..."**

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

Everyone was smiling fondly of their favorite half-giant.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes."**

"First time I heard that," smiled Harry shyly.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. "I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; **

Everyone was now grinning as the respect for Hagrid gone up for some people.

**he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

The twins cheered.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

"**Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

"That was nice of him," said Hermione fondly.

"But if it's anything like his cooking at Hogwarts…" Ron trailed off. The trio grimaced.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you."**

"Manners, Harry," admonished the twins mockingly.

**The giant chuckled. "True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

**What about that tea then, eh." he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

The adults in the room all snorted. _That's Hagrid for you._

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

"Mmm, Butterbeer," moaned Sirius. At Sirius' words a glass of Butterbeer appeared in front of him; hanging in midair. Sirius let out a yelp of delight and eagerly took it taking a long gulp. Several of the adults were giving him scathing looks as he smacked his lips in satisfation.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

**The giant chuckled darkly. "Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." **

Chuckles were carried around the room.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. **

**Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

**"Er - no," said Harry. "Sorry," Harry added quickly.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

Everyone groaned as they waited for Hagrid's response.

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.**

**Now wait jus' one second!" He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut.**

**The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

Hermione rolled her as she guessed what her friend was thinking.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. "I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world." **

**"What world?" Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"Uh oh," muttered Bill.

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

**"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

Snape noticed that Potter didn't ask to clarify that _he_ was famous. _Maybe his arrogance just grew after entering Hogwarts…_ mused Snape as he tried to figure out Harry.

**Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are." he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

Those who knew Hagrid rolled their eyes at the Muggle's foolishness.

**Braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him. Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him. I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years."**

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"Drama queens," muttered Draco under his breath.

**"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. **

**"Harry - yer a wizard."**

"That's casual," said Hermione as she rolled her eyes.

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"- a what?" gasped Harry.**

"A wizard," said the twins very slowly making Harry roll his eyes.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be. An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

Tonks and Sirius cheered.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Floor**

**Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**

**He pulled out the letter and read: **

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall,**

**Deputy Headmistress**

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"_That's_ the first question you ask?" asked Ron bewildered.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill, and a roll of parchment.**

**With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

Many impressed looks were directed at Harry who didn't understand what was impressive, which made Hermione snort.

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry his letter.**_

**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**

**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

**Hagrid**

"Nice," said George brightly.

"Short," said Fred as bright as his twin.

"Simple," ended the twins.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said.**

**Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"Literally and figuratively," whispered Charlie into Hermione's ear making her laugh. Ron glowered at his older brother.

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

Many growls were exchanged around the room. Harry thought that he could almost feel the vibrations of them in the air.

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard." **

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was. Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!"**

Cries of outrage were carried around the room as Sirius and Snape looked murderous at the book. Lupin was trying to hold back the monster within.

"**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

Charlie paled at having to read this part and Harry was looking down away from the pitying looks as his cheeks flushed with renewed rage at his Aunt.

"That's horrible," whispered Hermione.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up. You told me they died in a car crash!"**

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"That would have been a disaster," muttered McGonagall to Mrs. Weasley who nodded.

**"Well, its best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..." He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

**"Who?"**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

**"Why not?" **

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

**"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort."**

Charlie's voice quivered, but he looked proud of himself that he said the name.

"Can't believe you got him to say it," said Hermione looking impressed at Harry.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right."**

"**Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."**

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side."**

Hermione snorted. "This isn't Star Wars,"

Harry and Tonks laughed much to the confusion of everyone else in the room.

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -" Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

Many people smiled sadly.

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..."**

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em.**

Harry was looking down at his shoes. _And now he wants to kill me, _thought Harry bitterly.

**An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead. That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry."**

"**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts**

Mrs. Weasley cried out at the name of her brothers as Arthur comforted his wife as best as he could.

Sirius also seemed to pale. Harry nudged his shoulder questioning.

Sirius sighed heavily. "Marlene McKinnon was my fiance," Harry froze and so did everyone else in the room besides Lupin.

Harry was at a loss for words. He noticed several people were crying quietly.

"Don't worry about it," said Sirius, smiling weakly. "It happened about two weeks after I proposed. People always wondered why I remained single for so many years. Thought I was being a big bachelor like I was at Hogwarts," Siruis snorted, not amused. "Well, now you know."

Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.

"I'm sorry," said Harry before getting up and giving Sirius a quick hug. Sirius smiled sadly at his God-son as Lupin patted Sirius on the back.

Charlie snapped out of his shock and figured that once he started to read, people would snap out of it too.

**an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

Many shivered as they looked at Harry with bewilderment that he could remember that. No eleven-year-old or anyone for that matter should have to hear You-Know-Who's laugh.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. **

**Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured**

More glares were directed toward the book as Lupin and Sirius were reminded that they need to have a talk with Harry soon.

**- and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"**

Furious muttering broke out as Charlie tried reading as fast as possible.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... " **

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"Sure, back _then_ you had the decency to not say his name, but not now," said Ron as he shook his head.

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?**

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it.**

**People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back."**

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

"That was Mum," muttered Harry within ear shot of Ginny who gave him a sympathetic look.

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard. If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

**"Not a wizard, eh. Never made things happen when you was scared or angry." Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it. Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

**"See." said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

**"Haven't I told you he's not going." he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad."**

Everyone nodded furiously.

**His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

Many started to pale. If the Muggle had had any brains, he wouldn't have said that.

The twins were looked mischievous and they rubbed their hands with glee as they waited for Hagrid's reaction.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE- IN- FRONT- OF- ME!"**

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

The room immediately roared with laughter. The twins were rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs, as they vowed to talk to Hagrid more often.

Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall were giving everyone disapproving looks, but even they couldn't hold back the twitch in their lips.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. "Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

More laughter broke out at their friend.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?"**

"We never did find out," said the twins, Lupin, Sirius, Tonks, Bill and Charlie wistfully.

The trio exchanged knowing looks that Sirius caught as he looked open mouthed at them.

"Second book," said Harry with a wink.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

**"You can kip under that,"** **he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

"Eww," said Tonks as her nose scrunched up in distaste.

"That's the end of the chapter," said Charlie as he passed the book to Bill.

A/N  
Next chapter...a lot of things are going to happen.. *mysterious smile* ;)

Thank you for reading and leave a comment if you liked it(:  
(Sorry about the lack of dialogue in this one! :(( )


	6. Chapter 6: Diagon Alley

"Two more chapters, I think, before bed," said Mrs. Weasley, ignoring the groans of protest around the room.

Charlie glanced at his watch that once was one of the Prewett twins' and realized with a start it was already eleven at night.

"**Diagon Alley," **read Bill.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. "It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"That would mean you have a big imagination," said Hermione sweetly.

"Yeah…wait…Oi!" said Harry glaring at his best friend.

Hermione smiled innocently as everyone laughed.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**'And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door,' Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

"**All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

"The poor balloon," said a dreamy voice behind Harry making everyone jump as they stared at the new comer.

She ignored the stares as she skipped to an empty arm chair that had appeared next to Harry.

"Er – " started Harry, staring at the girl. She had waist-long, dirty blonde hair and was wearing a dreamy expression. She was wearing radish earrings and a necklace strewed with Butterbeer tops over a bright yellow dress with green stockings. She wore no shoes.

"Hi, Luna," said Ginny beaming at her, Luna merely waved.

Ginny giggled. "Everyone, this is Luna Lovegood. She's a fourth year in Ravenclaw,"

"Your father is the editor of the Quibbler, isn't he?" asked Bill kindly.

"Oh, yes," said Luna absentmindedly as she put her wand behind her ear. A few people exchanged wary looks at the mention of the magazine.

"Xenophilius and you live right over the hill from us, don't you?" asked Arthur, curiously.

Luna nodded as she got out the Quibbler and disappeared behind it. Harry realized she was reading the magazine upside down. Several people exchanged bewildered looks before nodding at Bill to continue.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that." Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

"Bad move, Harry," snickered Charlie.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl…"**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

"Probably the Nargles," said Luna, not looking up from her magazine.

"What are Nargles?" asked Ron, curiously.

"Creatures that live in mistletoe, they're always stealing my shoes," said Luna, still not looking at anyone.

Ron wished he never asked and Hermione stared at her with disbelief.

Ginny was giggling again.

After an awkward silence, Bill continued to read.

**"Um – Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

Everyone shivered except Bill. "I only know a few that are actually decent," Bill said frowning.

"**Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you, gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."**

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

"How did the Dursleys get back?" asked Hermione.

"Er - I have no idea," said Harry surprised. Now that he thought about it he had no clue.

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

"Flew?" inquired Tonks, bewildered at the image of the half-giant flying through the air.

**"Flew?"**

Tonks blushed.

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

Several people snorted.

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"Wouldn't be surprised if you broke into Gringotts later in the books," said Sirius sarcastically.

A note popped in the air and floated gracefully in Harry's lap.

_You do, seventh book. _The note said.

Harry looked at the short phrase in shock as he passed it to a frustrated Hermione. Her mouth popped open.

People looked between the two confused.

"Seventh book," said Harry faintly.

Everyone's eyes widened except for Luna's.

Mrs. Weasley was feeling faint. _Why on earth would Harry break into Gringotts? _

Bill's mouth was gaping. _How did Harry manage to do the impossible? _

Bill finally snapped out of it and started to reread.

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

Everyone nodded grimly in agreement.

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one.**

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice." **

"Does he really, sir?" asked Percy quietly making all the Weasley's glare at him (besides Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were looking rather pale) as if he was the grim.

Dumbledore nodded.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" asked Ginny, giving Harry a fond smile that Harry returned. Ron was glowering at his best mate.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh."**

"Keeping a low profile, I see." said Moody under his breath, sarcastically, as he gave the book a sour look.

"**Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

"There better not be," said Charlie and Hermione dangerously as they glared at the red head working at the Wizarding bank.

Bill thought it was best not to answer.

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

The trio exchanged knowing looks.

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go." They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

Hermione didn't even bother saying how Muggle money was much easier to understand than Wizarding money for her mind was still on the dragon living in the bank.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_**

**_UNIFORM - First-year students will require:_**

**_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_**

**_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_**

**_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_**

**_One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_**

**_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_**

**_COURSE BOOKS - All students should have a copy of each of the following:_**

**_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_**

**_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_**

"My favorite text book," said Draco truthfully, before blushing at the looks he was receiving.

**_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_**

**_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch_**

"With an amazing Professor teaching the subject," said Sirius before grinning at Minerva.

McGonagall gave him a look that clearly says:_ Don't be a suck up_, but Harry noticed her cheeks were blushing pink with pride.

**_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_**

**_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_**

**_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_**

"They don't mention Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," said Luna dreamily as she twirled her necklace between her fingers, the Quibbler lying neatly on her lap as she stared up at the ceiling.

Not sure what to say to this, Bill continued to read after flashing Luna a wary look as if she sprouted an extra limb.

**_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_**

**_OTHER EQUIPMENT –_**

**_wand_**

**_cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_**

**_set of glass or crystal phials_**

**_telescope_**

**_set of brass scales_**

**_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_**

**_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_**

"Except if your name is Harry Potter!" cheered the twins, beaming at the youngest seeker of the century.

Draco was glowering at the book.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks?**

**Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"They don't have the brains or imagination to think all this up," said Tonks cheerfully as she decided to change her hair to a bright purple.

"Lilac looks good on you," muttered Lupin to Tonks.

Tonks blushed as Sirius winked at Lupin.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub.**

The Aurors in the room nodded their head in agreement.

**If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.**

"I do love your descriptions, Harry," said Lupin as he smiled at Harry, who proceeded to blush.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

Harry suddenly felt a pressure on his knees. _What was going on?_

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this- can this be-?" The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honor." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

"James went there for a little bit during his bachelor party," said Sirius with a faraway expression. "Tom always gave him free drinks after that night."

"And James couldn't remember why," smirked Lupin as he, too, remembered that night.

"What happened?" asked Harry eagerly.

"He started dancing on the countertop as the people around the bar dared him to do various things. The bar became quite popular after that." said Sirius as he snickered.

Sirius looked like he was going to go into more detail, but Mrs. Weasley shot him a look that made Sirius gulp.

Harry gazed at his God-father disappointed and Snape silently thanked the plump woman.

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out.**

**Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"**

Dumbledore chuckled lightly as the adults who knew the wizard rolled their eyes.

**Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

The trio glared at the book with so much hatred everyone in the room were surprised it didn't burst into flames.

"The man with two faces," said Luna dreamily looking up at the ceiling.

"How do you know that?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"It was next to an article about Humdingers," said Luna as she pierced Hermione with a stare that was making Hermione shift uncomfortably in her chair at the intensity.

"What's wrong with the poor man?" asked Sirius, curiously. He suddenly wished he never asked as the trio's hateful glares were now directed at him.

"**What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter." He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose. I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"How can one teach the class and be afraid of the subject?" asked Lupin bewildered.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

**Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires. Hags. Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up... two across," he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

Sirius and Lupin were glowering at the headmaster. They should have been the ones to take Harry to Diagon Ally to get his school things.

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop.**

**Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"Lily was brilliant at potions," said Lupin as he smiled kindly at Harry.

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.**

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.**

**A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

Mrs. Weasley blushed furiously when she realized that was probably her.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -"**

All Quidditch fans in the room seemed to get a glazed look in their eye.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was - "Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.**

**The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

**_Enter, stranger, but take heed_**

**_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_**

**_For those who take, but do not earn,_**

**_Must pay most dearly in their turn._**

**_So if you seek beneath our floors_**

**_A treasure that was never yours,_**

**_Thief, you have been warned, beware_**

**_Of finding more than treasure there._**

"I love that poem," sighed Tonks, smiling. Lupin looked at her curiously for he liked it too.

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

Everyone tried to hide their laughter as they looked at a sheepish Harry.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.**

**There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers.**

**The goblin wrinkled his nose.**

The twins exchanged gleeful looks as plans to annoy the goblins passed through them.

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." The goblin read the letter carefully.**

Several people groaned. They knew what Harry was like.

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"Your parents' son," chuckled Lupin.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

More groans were exchanged around the room knowing that Hagrid made it worse.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.**

"CONSTANT VIGELENCE!" boomed Mad-Eye making everyone jump. Tonks started muttering angrily under her breath as she cast glares at Moody, whose eye was zooming around looking for attacks.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite."**

"Stalagmite up, stalactite down." said Hermione immediately.

"**Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid.**

Everyone laughed at Hermione's peeved expression and Charlie patted Hermione's head fondly making Ron turn scarlet and Bill to hide a laugh with a cough. Harry and Ginny looked at each other with amusement, which gave Harry the sudden urge to kiss her and he fought it violently down. Where had that urge come from? He shook his head, and focused on the reading.

Hermione flushed red, but was secretly happy.

"**An' don' ask me -**

Ron cleared his throat loudly, interrupting Bill. "Hermione, can I have a word?" asked Ron without waiting for an answer before walking toward the **Meeting Room**_**.**_

Hermione gave him a confused look, but quickly got up and followed.

Ginny, Harry, Bill, and Charlie looked after them with worried looks; all of them had some idea what Ron wanted to talk about.

Bill cleared his throat awkwardly before starting to read again, his eyes flicking to the door once in a while.

**questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

Harry looked down at his shoes in embarrassment as he knew that the Weasley's were quite poor.

Speaking of Weasley's, in the **Meeting Room** Ron and Hermione were having a stare down, both flushed in the face.

"You're not allowed to date my brother," said Ron with finality. "I see you giving him puppy dog eyes." He grimaced with disgust.

"NOT ALLOWED?" asked Hermione with rage in each word. "You can't tell me what to do Ronald Weasley. For your information, I was _not_ giving him puppy dog eyes."

Ron snorted, not amused. "Of course, you weren't," said Ron sarcastically. "Besides," he added. "He's too old for you,"

"He is _not_ that much older than me and why do you care?" screeched Hermione, not sure why she had liked Ron in the first place.

"Charlie only thinks of you as a sister! Anyone would be embarrassed if you started dating and snogging everywhere or anyone. You're just a know-at-all book worm anyway!"

Hermione stiffened and hid the hurt as she glared at Ron with complete loathing.

"At least Viktor thought I was good enough to snog," said Hermione coldly as Ron's fists tightened and his cheeks turned a brighter red than before as she stomped out of the room.

Everyone eyed Hermione and Ron's flushed cheeks as they continued to glare at each and sat down.

Charlie looked at Hermione with concern as everyone looked petrified with shock at the two.

Bill suddenly wished for a three person couch and Bill, Hermione, and Charlie were now sitting on one. Bill put a comforting arm around her as Charlie cautiously grabbed Hermione's hand much to Ron's disgust.

Charlie squeezed Hermione's hand and Hermione smiled weakly before she squeezed back and leaned on to Charlie for support.

Bill looked at the two and then winked at Ginny and Harry who were gazing at the couple, knowing they had already assumed what was going on. They smiled back.

Harry started to study Ron who was looking stonily past Hermione's head with his arms crossed as everyone else just looked confused and bewildered at the change of events. Bill continued to read as Snape was getting frustrated at all the interruptions.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

This wasn't helping Ron's mood.

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh."**

**He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

Mrs. Weasley let out a sigh of relief as she eyed her youngest son worriedly.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside." Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

A few people shivered at that.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty.**

**Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor.**

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

"That's a first," said the twins grinning as they tried weakly to erase the tension in the room.

A few gave feeble chuckles as Harry blushed.

**Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

"Do you meet a friend, Harry?" asked Tonks, relieved he was getting some interaction.

Harry grimaced, casting a glance to Malfoy who was paling as he remembered the conversation before taking fearful glance at his mother.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice.**

"Oh," Tonks huffed, disappointed, as a few people laughed, before Draco cringed at the look on his mother's face.

"**Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley**.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her son and Malfoy cast a fearful look towards the floor.

**Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

Fred and George gasped loudly before falling on the ground pretending to faint as the Quidditch fans in the room cringed at the thought.

Ginny giggled.

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

Tonks sent a glare to the young Slytherin making him cringe deeper into the chair.

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

Mrs. Weasley and Sirius smiled.

**That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking this boy less and less every second.**

Almost everyone was now glaring at Malfoy and Narcissa gave her son a disappointed look.

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

Lupin suddenly laughed making people jump as the attention was taken off Draco.

"What?" asked Harry.

"That was James, Sirius and I." said Lupin grinning as Sirius grinned back as they remembered all the time they got Hagrid drunk.

Everyone gave them an amused look as Minerva and Molly glared.

The twins added this to their to-do-list.

"**I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all.**

Everyone were wearing sad looks as Tonks' hair turned black.

**"But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

Several nodded approvingly at Harry's choice of words.

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you. They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

"That's James and I's favorite," said Sirius smiling.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied.**

"You're such a horrible liar, Harry," said Hermione as she smiled fondly at her best friend. Charlie noticed Hermione's head was starting to droop on his shoulder and he couldn't help but smile.

**They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pate boy in Madam Malkin's. "-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh.**

**Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

"Indeed," muttered several people.

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"Is not!" yelled all the Quidditch enthusiasts in outrage.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

Tonks' hair turned red as she glowered at the book.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

Snape sneered at the book with loathing.

**You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.**

**Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from _Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More)_by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

Everyone laughed as the grinning twins said "Nice one, mate."

Sirius was letting out a barking laugh.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea,**

McGonagall rolled her eyes.

**but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope.**

**Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

"**Just yer wand left - yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

All the adults smiled fondly as they reminded themselves to thank Hagrid later.

**Harry felt himself go red. "You don't have to -"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at**

All the teens and Professors thoughts jumped to Neville.

**- an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing.**

Harry smiled.

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

Harry glared at the book at being compared to the stuttering faker.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivander's left now - only place fer wands, Ollivander's, and yeh gotta have the best wand." A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"Impressive," said many of the adults making Harry blush.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

"Another subject your mom was brilliant at," said Lupin, smiling.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

Many nodded in agreement.

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration.**

McGonagall nodded as she smiled, thinking of her best student.

**Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

**"**That's creepy," muttered Tonks**.**

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

**"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..." He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it."**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled." said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

Almost everyone snorted.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look.**

**"Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -" Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"The more the challenge, the better," said Dumbledore as his eyes twinkled.

"How many did you go through?" asked Tonks curiously since it only took three for her.

"Probably over thirty," said Harry thoughtfully.

"Ten,"

"Eight,"

"Twenty,"

"A hundred and seven," said Dumbledore making everyone stop to stare at the headmaster.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.**

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... " He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious…"**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?" Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar." Harry swallowed.**

Lupin's expression went thoughtful as Harry stared at the headmaster, remembering what had happened to him last June at the graveyard. Sirius was looking at Harry as he noticed his God-son pale face before remembering the state of Harry after the Tri-Wizard tournament.

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

"Is he giving You-Know-Who a compliment?" asked Ron, speaking up. Harry noticed his voice was still laced with anger. Hermione glared at him for even daring to speak.

"Just the magic, I think." said Dumbledore.

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"Don't worry, Harry Potter, that's just the Nargles as they buzz in your ears," said Luna dreamily as Ginny stifled a giggle.

"Er – "

Bill decided to keep reading.

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

Snape's view of Potter was wavering as he was starting to realize that Harry only had Lily's cheek and not James' arrogance.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

Bill closed the book as he realized that almost everyone's eyes were staring to droop.

"Bed," said Mrs. Weasley as she clapped her hands.

At her words, doors appeared around the room.

Everyone slowly got up and trudged to a room.

The twins disappeared behind one door as did Ron and grudgingly Harry behind another.

One by one or pairs everyone was gone except for Charlie, Hermione and Bill.

"Why don't you carry Hermione into Ginny's room," said Bill and Charlie swore his eyes were twinkling like Dumbledore's. He glared swiftly at Bill's departing back before picking up a sleeping Hermione in his arms.

He walked slowly and was careful not to jostle her before he pushed on the door. He saw Ginny's sleeping form on one of the two beds, but from living with Ginny for so long only he and Bill could tell when she was faking. Like she was now.

Charlie carefully placed Hermione on the bed before pulling the covers over her. He hesitated before swiftly kissing her on the forehead as he crept quietly to the door.

"Night, Gin," whispered Charlie and winked at a peeking Ginny.

Ginny smiled. "Night, Char-Bear,"

"Can you believe the nerve of that git?" ranted Ron as Harry looked warily at Ron on the other bed.

Harry and Ron, mostly Ron, were talking, sitting cross legged on separate beds facing each other. Harry was looking forward to sleeping, but Ron had different plans.

"Are we still on about Charlie?" asked Harry tiredly and yawned.

"The git? Of course!" yelled Ron in loathing.

"I don't understand why your brother is a git. I thought you had Percy for that." said Harry.

"They're both gits!" yelled Ron, frustrated that Harry wasn't catching on quickly.

"Well, unlike Percy, only _you_ think Charlie is a git." said Harry as calmly as he could.

"So you don't believe me!?" asked Ron who was narrowing his eyes at Harry like he was a slug. "I believed you, when you said You-Know-Who returned. I took your word for it! But you can't do that both ways, huh? You, the famous Harry Potter, wouldn't _dar_ebelieve – "

"Unlike you I had my reasons! Unlike you I gave you all the details! Unlike you I have Dumbledore on my side!" explained Harry, finally losing his patience.

"CHARLIE IS A GIT BECAUSE I SAY HE IS ONE! HOW HARD IS THAT TO UNDERSTAND?" yelled Ron.

"IT'S A LOT TO UNDERSTAND!" yelled Harry back.

"BE THAT WAY, THEN! GO ON! KEEP DEFENDING HIM LIKE YOU DID WITH KRUM! KRUM, WHO ADMIRED A DEATH EATER! KRUM, WHO CURSED CEDRIC IN THE MA – "

"THAT'S BECAUSE KRUM WAS IMPERIUSED!" interrupted Harry, angrily. He could not believe that Ron had the nerve to bring up what happened in June; to bring up Cedric to his face.

Harry and Ron were both red in the face, breathing heavily as they glared at each other. Harry felt the adrenaline going through him like Firewhiskey.

Ron gave Harry one last loathing look before finally laying back on his bed, stiffly turning on his side, away from Harry. Harry did the same and was surprised to find his scar prickling.

Sirius was pacing, muttering under his breath as Lupin watched him warily.

Lupin cleared his throat making Sirius jump.

"Right, sorry," said Sirius, but still kept pacing.

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't he ever tell us it was that bad at the Dursley's?" asked Sirius finally. "Am I not trustworthy enough? Or am I – "

"Sirius," interrupted Lupin. "He didn't tell anyone, not even Ron and Hermione. You know how close those three are."

Sirius merely nodded, not reassured. "So, what are we going to do about it?"

Lupin sighed tiredly. "I'm not sure,"

"Well, he bloody can't stay there any longer, Mooney!" yelled Sirius, throwing his hands in the air. "A cupboard, for Merlin's sake!"

"I know, I know. I'm upset about it too, Pads," said Lupin calmly.

"Well, you don't seem like it!" yelled Sirius.

"That's because I can control my emotions better," said Lupin, trying to be diplomatic. Secretly, Lupin was outraged. He considered Harry as family. James would have been angry if he thought of Harry any differently.

Sirius merely grumbled under his breath about an emotionless werewolf.

"Look," started Lupin getting up from his bed and squeezing Sirius' shoulder. "Dumbledore's got to have _some_ reason to place Harry there – "

"Are you sure?" interrupted Sirius. "I bet you all my broomsticks that he did it for the "_greater good"_ or some trash like that,"

Lupin slowly nodded because that was his first thought too.

Sirius started pacing and muttering again for a few more moments as Lupin watched him patiently to collect his thoughts.

"Do you think Harry was physically abused?" blurted Sirius.

At this question Lupin looked away to face a wall, but not really seeing it. He had a funny suspicion that in Harry's earlier years that weren't being described he had been beaten or smacked, which of course wasn't funny at all. He had a notion that Lily's sister didn't do anything major, but that Harry's uncle handled the punishments. Lupin couldn't blame Harry's cousin entirely because it's the people who raised him that are who to blame.

"I believe Harry's uncle is the only one to blame for this." said Lupin quietly.

"So," said Sirius with a grave expression that resembled what he looked like for the first few times Lupin visited him when he first escaped on a Hippogriff. "You _do_ believe he was beaten,"

"I'm afraid so," said Lupin just as gravely.

Sirius kicked the wall again and again in anger before letting out a shaky breath.

"Can't Harry live with you?" whispered Sirius.

"I'm not safe, you know that." sighed Lupin. "And," Lupin added before Sirius could protest. "I'm dirt poor and I can't keep a stable job."

"I'll bloody pay you!" shouted Sirius desperately.

Lupin shook his head as he smiled sadly at his friend. "I wouldn't take the money."

Sirius groaned before kicking the wall again. There was slight indent in the wall. "It's all my ruddy fault. If I hadn't gone after that bloody rat – "

"That is not your fault, Sirius!" said Lupin firmly. "Get some sleep, we're going to need it for tomorrow. At least now we can read about Harry's first Quidditch match. Didn't Harry mention he was the youngest Seeker in a century?"

Sirius smiled weakly before slowly going back to his bed. Lupin did the same.

Sirius knew that nothing could be _that_ bad in Harry's first year at Hogwarts.

Or so he hoped.

This was a pretty packed chapter... what will my mind come up with next! ^_^

Thanks soo much for reading :)


	7. Chapter 7: The Journey to Platform 9 34

Everyone groggily got up and went towards the kitchen in a trance when the smell of syrup and pancakes started engulfing the Room of Requirement.

The only person that wasn't tired was Luna who was babbling on about the latest issue of the Quibbler until, finally, the food came.

The teens were feeling a little awkward eating with their professors at the same table. Harry was surprised to see Snape buttering his pancakes and McGonagall chatting pleasantly with Mrs. Weasley as she poured syrup onto her plate.

Sirius started bragging (again) when everyone walked into the reading room and saying rather loudly that those were the best pancakes he'd ever tasted. Mrs. Weasley was blushing.

Harry was giving Sirius a pointed look knowing he was being a suck up. But even he had to agree that those _were_ really good pancakes.

Everyone sat down in the same spot as yesterday.

Unfortunately, Harry and Hermione were still not talking to Ron and Ron refused to speak to them until Harry and Hermione told him he was right.

A few people had started to notice the coldness between the trio which was making the silence strained.

Lupin cleared his throat. "I'll read first."

"Of course," muttered Sirius amused and Lupin shot Sirius a look.

Hermione got up and gave the past D.A.D.A. Professor the book.

"**The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," **read Lupin.

**Harry's last month with the Dursley's wasn't fun.**

"Is it ever?" asked the twins smirking, seeming to finally be awake.

**True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, which Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, **

Sirius growled.

**Force him to do anything or shout at him – in fact, they didn't speak to him at all.**

"That's got to be depressing after a while," said Tonks, while her hair changed from pink to blonde when she yawned.

**Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

A few tired chuckles reverberated in the room.

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in **_**A History of Magic.**_

"Wasn't Hedwig the last name of the Wizard who was one the first headmasters at Hogwarts?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Do you even have to ask?" muttered Harry loudly, making many laugh. Hermione glared at Harry, but knew he was forgiven when her lips twitched.

**His school books were very interesting.**

"The horror!" yelled the twins with their mouths agape and they pretended (or actually) faint.

If anyone had been sleepy, they weren't now.

Harry blushed when he noticed most of the adults and Hermione were giving him an approving look.

Sirius was looking horrified at the prospect of finding school textbooks interesting.

**He lay on his bed reading late into the night,**

"You poor thing, Harry, dear," said the twins in an imitation of their mother.

The laughter died quickly from a glare from the said short-tempered red-headed witch.

**Hedwig swooping in and out of the place as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice.**

"I really do like your owl, Harry," said Charlie kindly and smiled.

Hermione bit back an admiring grin.

**Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

Snape realized with a jolt that he had done the exact same thing when he was younger. He was slightly disgusted that besides a horrible childhood he had another thing in common with the boy.

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day.**

"You waited until the day before?" asked Hermione in disbelief.

Harry grinned sheepishly.

**So he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

The twins started to snicker.

"**Er – Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

"**Er – I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to – to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

"**Would it be alright if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

"**Thank you."**

Several people snorted.

"So, you speak troll, Harry?" asked Fred.

"Wouldn't be surprised if his uncle was," said George.

"Sure, I speak troll and two other languages." said Harry smiling.

"_Two_ others?" asked Hermione bewildered.

"Yeah, English and Pig Latin," said Harry grinning.

Several people laughed and Hermione looked at Harry in disbelief not getting the joke.

**He was supposed to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

A few people groaned.

"He should keep his trap shut," muttered Sirius.

"**Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"There were several witches and wizards bewitching Muggle artifacts such as carpets and they eventually got banned." explained Mr. Weasley.

"That was a disaster," muttered Kingsley.

**Harry didn't say anything.**

"**Where is this school, anyway?"**

"Scotland," said Hermione at once. "Didn't you say you read _A History of Magic, _Harry?"

"Er – I might have just skipped that part," said Harry trying to urge Lupin with his eyes to keep reading.

"**I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hargird had given him out of his pocket.**

"Oh, no," muttered Hermione loudly. "He didn't tell you."

"**I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.**

**His aunt and uncle stared.**

"Oh," said Minerva, now understanding. "Hagrid didn't tell Harry _how_ to get on the platform."

Many eyes widened.

"Ah, so _that's_ where we come in," said the twins before winking at Harry.

"Don't get too happy," said Tonks in a hushed voice. "That means your descriptions are coming up."

The twins eyes widened and they looked at Tonks in horror.

Everyone laughed.

Harry glanced at Ron frowning. He was crossing his arms and glowering at the floor; not joining into any of the conversations. If Ron didn't stop being a prat soon, reading these books was going to be awkward.

"**Platform what?"**

"**Nine and three-quarters."**

"**Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

"Yes, there is," chorused the twins.

"**It's on my ticket."**

"**Barking," said Uncle Vernon.**

Sirius glowered at the book, peeved that there were so many dog-related references. Harry laughed.

"**Howling mad, the lot of them."**

"Oi!" yelled many people who felt insulted. Especially Sirius.

**You'll see. You just wait. Alright, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

Many eye rolls went through the room.

"**Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

Hermione snorted.

"**Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

"Aw," pouted the twins before a slow, wide, crafty smile spread across their face.

Many people were thankful that they weren't the Dursley's right now.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes – he'd change on the train.**

"Good thinking." growled Mad-Eye.

Kingsley and Moody exchanged looks. There have been too many irresponsible wizards walking in non-Muggle clothes and memory charms being put on them to forget the mysterious people in cloaks lately.

**He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the rooms waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, **

Many people snorted.

**and they had set off.**

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him.**

"Really?" asked Tonks surprised.

Many people were giving the book suspicious looks concerning the sudden kindness of Harry's uncle.

"Constant vigilance, constant vigilance," muttered Mad-Eye.

**Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. **

"Uh, oh," Tonks muttered.

"**Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

**He was quite right, of course.**

**There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

"**Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.**

"That's just evil!" burst out Tonks.

Many heads were nodding in agreement. Sirius was fuming and Lupin noticed he was starting to mutter under his breath again took this as the sign to keep reading.

**Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig.**

**He'd have to ask someone.** **He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters.**

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose.**

**Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one.**

**In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.**

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"— **packed with Muggles, of course —"**

A few people sighed with relief and the twins exchanged looks.

**Harry swung round.**

**The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.**

The said Weasley kids cheered. George had to shove Ron so he would cheer half-heartily with them.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him, and they had an **_**owl**_**.**

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"**Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mum, can't I go…"**

Ginny started to blush.

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."**

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"Bad luck, mate," said Charlie grinning.

"**Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

"**I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you **_**tell **_**I'm George?"**

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy,**

Everyone laughed and the twins exchanged grins.

"Now that I think about it," said Harry thoughtfully. "You were actually George."

The twin's mouths popped open, bewildered, that someone had figured it out.

Everyone else was also shocked since most of the time they couldn't figure it out.

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it. **

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman. **

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." **

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

Many people snorted at the description and the twins were grinning.

Harry saw Ron's lips twitch and he took that as a good sign.

"**Yes," said Harry. "The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —"**

"**How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

"**Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

"**Er — okay," said Harry. He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

Harry and Ron couldn't help but exchange fleeting smiles when they remembered their second year.

Ron decided he couldn't be mad at Harry. He would win him over later. He was never going to forgive Hermione, though. Or Charlie.

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash —**

"And SMASH!" yelled Lupin add-libbing. Many of the adults were looking shocked. Mrs. Weasley squeaked in horror.

Harry was laughing uncontrollably and Sirius joined in after glancing at the book in Lupin's lap.

"He's joking," said Harry finally. Many people were giving the past professor accusing looks, but they were still amused.

The twins were laughing hysterically and Hermione rolled her eyes.

**It didn't come…**.**he kept on running… he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said **_**Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock**_**. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words **_**Platform Nine and Three-Quarters **_**on it.**

**He had done it.**

Sirius smiled sadly wishing, if not Lily or James, that he would have taken him to the Hogwart's train for the first time.

Lupin smiled sadly also, noticing Sirius' look.

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat.**

**He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

"**Oh, **_**Neville**_**," he heard the old woman sigh.**

"I swear, no matter how many times Neville loses his toad it manages to turn up," said Ginny fondly of her friend.

Harry looked down, not sure how he felt about Ginny's comment.

Bill was giving Charlie another pointed look, nodding his head at Harry and Ginny before grinning.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

"Lee!" cheered the twins.

"**Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

Ron shivered and the twins exchanged looks.

"Did you know, Harry, that your owl ate Lee's pet?" said the twins grinning.

Harry's mouth opened before looking sheepish. Several people chuckled.

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

Many winced. Harry winced the most and his eyes watered as he suddenly felt jabs of pain on his right foot.

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.**

"**Yes, please," Harry panted.**

"**Oi, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

"You actually helped a complete stranger?" asked Bill amazed. "_Without_ pranking them?"

The twins were exchanging sheepish looks and the Weasley's eyed the twins bewildered.

"**Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

"**What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

Harry groaned making Snape raise an eyebrow. Mrs. Weasley was looking at the twins in suspicion.

"**Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you —?"**

"**He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

"**What?" said Harry.**

"_**Harry Potter**_**." chorused the twins.**

"**Oh, him," **

Several people laughed and snorted at Harry's answer.

**said Harry. **"**I mean, yes, I am."**

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. **

**Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

"**Fred? George? Are you there?"**

"**Coming, Mum."**

**With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.**

"Now, Harry," said the twins. "Eves dropping, are we?"

Harry reddened and Ginny's eyes were going wide when she started to remember how awkward she used to be around him.

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief. **"**Ron, you've got something on your nose." The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

Several people chuckled and Ron started to blush.

Mrs. Weasley looked sheepish at her youngest son.

_**Mum**_**— geroff!" He wriggled free.**

"**Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

More people chuckled.

"**Shut up," said Ron.**

"**Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

"**He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a red and gold badge on his chest with the letter **_**P **_**on it.**

"**Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"**

"**Oh, are you a **_**prefect**_**, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

"**Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once-"**

"**Or twice —"**

"**A minute —"**

"**All summer —"**

More laughter broke out at the twin's antics and Percy was glowering at the floor.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were also looking down, but with sad expressions on their faces.

Sirius thought the twins acted a lot like him and James.

"**Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

"**How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

"**Because he's a **_**prefect**_**," said their mother fondly.**

**"All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. **"**Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or —"**

Sirius, Tonks and Lupin groaned.

"Never give them ideas," said Lupin grinning. All professors in the room silently agreed.

"**Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

"**Great idea though, thanks, Mum."**

Some people chuckled.

"**It's **_**not funny**_**. And look after Ron."**

"**Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

"**Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

"Do you have to keep mentioning it?" said Ron, half smiling.

Mrs. Weasley was looking relieved that Ron was finally joining into the conversation and Hermione was still looking peeved.

Harry just smiled back.

"**Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

**Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

More people snorted.

"**You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"**

"**Who?"**

"_**Harry Potter**_**!"**

**Harry heard the little girl's voice. **"**Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please…"**

People laughed for Ginny's sake and she started to blush the Weasley red before giving them daggers.

Harry only smiled at her, which didn't stop Ginny from blushing.

"**You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"**

"**Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning."**

"Besides from the circumstances you got it from," started Fred.

"It really does look cool," finished George.

"**Poor **_**dear **_**— no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."**

"**Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

So did the Mrs. Weasley in the present time.

"I swear, if you two asked him…" Mrs. Weasley trailed off dangerously.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks.

"**All right, keep your hair on." **

**A whistle sounded. **"**Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

Ginny started blushing again.

"**Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

"**We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat."**

"_**George!**_**"**

Everyone laughed.

"I never did get that," pouted Ginny.

"I did," said Harry grinning.

"Until Madam Pomfrey confiscated it," pouted the twins.

"Fred, George!" said Mrs. Weasley disapproving. "I thought you said you didn't blow one up? Next, you're both going to blow up Filch's cat…"

"Molly!" yelled many of the adults.

Mrs. Weasley noticed her mistake at once when the twins looked at each other with wide grins.

She groaned.

"**Only joking, Mum."**

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to — but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.**

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red headed boy came in.**

"**Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."**

Several people rolled their eyes and Ron blushed.

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"Seriously, mate?" asked Ron before groaning.

Hermione didn't understand how Ron couldn't stay angry at Harry, but could with her. Harry had explained quickly this morning about their argument last night.

"**Hey, Ron." The twins were back.** "**Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

"It _was_ pretty wicked," said the twins, emphasizing on the past tense word.

Harry looked sheepish again.

"**Right," mumbled Ron.**

**Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

"**Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

"**Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

"Smooth, Ron," said Bill before rolling his eyes. Ron glowered at the floor, still suspicious as to why Bill took his spot next to Hermione.

**Harry nodded.**

"**Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got — you know…"**

**He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared. **

"Very subtle," added Charlie getting a full blown out glare from Ron. Charlie merely looked away and Mr. Weasley looked confused between his three sons.

"**So that's where You-Know-Who —?"**

"**Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."**

"**Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"RON!" scowled Mrs. Weasley.

"**Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

"**Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

"**Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

"Really?" asked Ron shocked. Why would the famous Harry Potter find a poor wizard like him interesting?

"I've never met a wizard, Ron." replied Harry simply.

"**Err — Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"**So you must know loads of magic already." The Weasley's were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

The Weasley's and Malfoy shook their heads with varied degrees of disgust.

"**I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

"**Horrible — well, not all of them.** **My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

"**Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.**

All the Weasley's, including Percy, looked at Ron confused. Ron shifted in his seat, looking down at the floor.

"**I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch.** **Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.**

All the Weasley's looked appalled at Ron that he thought this much of their lack of money and his confidence.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."**

"Molly, when you give someone a wand that wasn't made especially for them, the wand might not work as well as it could for the witch or wizard." said Dumbledore, speaking up for the first time since breakfast.

Molly looked ashamed and apologetically at Ron.

"I can't take this," Mr. Weasley suddenly said. "Ron, go to the **Meeting Room**_now."_

Ron looked confused and shocked and he slowly got up.

"All Weasley's and Harry follow." added Arthur. One by one the Weasley's got up. Percy was torn and decided to remain seated. Mr. Weasley looked like he was going to protest, but didn't comment.

Harry felt a jolt of shock at his name being called and thought it must had been a mistake. He stayed seated as Mr. Weasley held the door open for everyone called.

"Yes, Harry, you too." said Mr. Weasley sternly.

Harry slowly got up when Mr. Weasley didn't move and went into the **Meeting Room**.

"Harry, you know you're part of our family," said Mr. Weasley kindly making Harry slightly blush that the rest of the Weasley's were nodding before Arthur turned sternly to Ron.

"Now, Ron, I know we are poor – " said Mr. Weasley bluntly.

"Sorry," interrupted Ron heatedly.

"But you should have told us you feel this strongly about it," continued Mr. Weasley.

Ron was looking down at the floor and the twins exchanged looks. They didn't realize how badly, until now, Ron felt. The twins looked guilty when they realized they should have acted like better older brothers.

"We're sorry, Ron," the twins said earnestly making Ron look up in surprise.

"I'm sorry, dear, that I didn't buy you a wand earlier," said Mrs. Weasley looking slightly teary.

"Sorry," muttered Ginny.

Charlie and Bill were now exchanging looks. They realized that Charlie liking Hermione wasn't helping how Ron felt. Charlie was tempted to stay away from Hermione but Bill had already assumed what he was thinking and elbowed him in the ribs shaking his head.

"Maybe you'll become prefect, Ron," said Harry suddenly, keeping the bitterness out of his voice.

Ron looked shocked at Harry. "N – No, you probably will – "

"Nah, I've been into too much trouble," said Harry, trying to make his smile not look sad.

Ron blushed, but looked slightly more cheerful.

Mr. Weasley went to go open the door.

"Charlie, Bill, Ron, Harry," Mr. Weasley suddenly said. "Stay here. The rest can go,"

The Weasley's that weren't called out went out the door; Ginny had exchanged a look with Harry before following her family and closing the door behind her.

"One of you is going to tell me what is wrong," said Mr. Weasley. "Ron, you've been giving dirty looks all today and last night to Bill and Charlie and this morning you were to Harry."

Ron looked at the floor, giving a quick said look to his older brothers.

Harry remained silent as did Bill.

"Ron is the one who seems to have a problem," started Charlie. Bill and Harry quickly glanced at him and Ron gave him a dirtier look than before. "I'm sure he'll tell you, dad, some other time."

Mr. Weasley studied the four boys before nodding slowly, realizing that's the best answer he's going to get for now before gesturing to the door and they all went back to their seats.

Hermione was looking worriedly at Charlie and Harry, but they just smiled and Charlie grabbed Hermione's hand again. Ginny and Harry seemed to be having a silent conversation and Bill noticed that the twins were looking at them all curiously. Fred and George were the only Weasley kids, besides Percy, that didn't realize what was wrong. For now.

Snape was getting impatient with all the interruptions, but the others were just quietly talking to each other before Lupin cleared his throat and continued to read.

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.** "**His name's Scabbers **

Sirius, Lupin and the trio all growled.

**and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"That shouldn't cheer you – " growled Sirius, but stopped from a pointed look from Lupin.

Molly was also going to say something about that, but Mr. Weasley shook his head.

"… **and until Hagrid told "me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort —" Ron gasped.**

Sirius, Lupin, and Harry rolled their eyes at the gasps and squeaks from the name being said.

"**What?" said Harry.**

"_**You said You-Know-Who's name!**_**" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people —"**

"Why? 'Cause my parents were murdered by him?" asked Harry angrily. He had no idea where the anger had come from and looked away from all the shocked faces staring at him.

Dumbledore's was looking at Harry sadly.

Lupin decided to read on after Sirius and him looked at each other surprised and confused.

"**I'm not trying to be **_**brave **_**or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't.** **See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

"You are probably better than you already are, but I'm guessing you hold it back so it doesn't give you more attention." said Hermione wisely. Harry blushed as everyone gave Hermione bewildered looks before turning to Harry.

"Harry, is this true?" asked Sirius curiously.

"Er – of course not," said Harry quickly.

"You _really_ are a horrible liar, Harry," said Hermione, rolling her eyes.

Harry swiftly glared at her before looking at his shoes.

Minerva was shocked and so was an impassive Snape.

Lupin was also shocked, but decided to keep reading for Harry's sake.

"**You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

"Hermione," chorused just about everyone making said bushy-haired girl blush furiously.

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor. He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry**— **but the woman didn't have Mars Bars.**

Lupin seemed to have stopped reading and was looking glassy eyed before Sirius pushed him. Lupin blushed while Tonks and Sirius laughed.

"Mars Bars?" asked Arthur seeming to not find it in the Muggle dictionary.

"It's a chocolate Muggle sweet," said Hermione.

**What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.**

"They should put Muggle sweets on the cart so Muggle-borns are more comfortable and wizards can try something new." offered Ginny.

"That's a very good idea, Miss Weasley," said Dumbledore making Ginny blush at the compliment and the proud looks she was receiving from her parents. Ginny's blush became a deeper red when she saw Harry giving her an impressed look.

**Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

To Harry's relief, no one commented.

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

"**Hungry, are you?"**

"**Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside.**

**He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef…"**

"That's my favorite, Mum," said Charlie.

Ron was trying to hide his sour look that his snack had gotten mistaken for Charlie's.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear," said Mrs. Weasley blushing.

"**Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on —"**

Several people smiled at Harry's generosity.

"**You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

"**Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

"**What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs.**

"**They're not **_**really **_**frogs, are they?" **

Several people, including Hermione chuckled.

"Cockroach clusters are real," said Dumbledore. No one commented.

**He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

"**No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

"**What?"**

"**Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

"I have five Agrippa and about twenty Ptolemy," said Lupin making Ron stare at him in awe.

"That's because you're a chocolate hoarder," said Sirius snickering. Tonks laughed the loudest out of everyone making Lupin's face have a red tinge.

More people were starting to share what they were missing but Snape cleared his throat rather loudly making many quiet down at once.

Snape tried to hide a smug look that he could quiet down a room, but of course, Harry noticed this.

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache.**

**Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

Dumbledore smiled, but still looked at his hands that were on his lap and ignored Harry who was trying to see his face.

Harry stared at him with frustration.

"**So **_**this **_**is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

"**Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —"**

**Harry turned over his card and read:**

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**_

_**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.**_

Groans were chorused around the room, making those who didn't know what had happened look around confused. They got no explanation.

_**Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**_

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared. **"**He's gone!"**

"**Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. **"**He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her… do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. "Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

"Really?" said all pure-bloods amazed.

Mr. Weasley looked excited, but Lupin was being urged by several people to keep reading.

"**Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "**_**Weird!"**_

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin.**

"Merlin and Paracelsus are pretty rare," said Tonks approvingly.

**He finally tore his eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

"**You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they **_**mean **_**every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."**

George shuddered.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. **"**Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts."**

Many noses scrunched up in the room.

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"Lucky," muttered several people.

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

"**Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

"**He'll turn up," said Harry.**

Most of the women in the room smiled at Harry.

"**Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…" He left.**

"**Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

Sirius growled under his breath.

**He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…"**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end. **"**Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway —"**

"That's actually dangerous," said Lupin, making Mrs. Weasley blush.

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toad less boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

"**Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

Hermione groaned "Bloody descriptions." making many laugh.

"It didn't mention beautiful eyes," whispered Charlie shyly into Hermione's ear making her blush.

Ron was looking murderous and Bill had winked at Charlie.

"**We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

"**Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

"**Er — all right." He cleared his throat. **"**Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

Fred and George started laughing. "Can't believe you believed us, Ron,"

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

"**Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart,** **of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" **

Lupin looked to be slightly panting, but looking pleased. Hermione was blushing and everyone laughed.

**She said all this very fast.**

"Just a little," muttered Harry smirking.

Hermione glared making Harry back track at once and finally after stuttering apologies had thought that being silent was the smart choice. Hermione looked pleased with herself.

**Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

"**I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

"**Harry Potter," said Harry.**

"**Are you really?" said Hermione. **"**I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in **_**Modern Magical History **_**and **_**The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts **_**and **_**Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century**_**."**

"Not shady at all, Hermione," chorused the twins making Hermione blush again.

"**Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

"**Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

"You've definitely changed, Hermione," barked out Sirius.

"I blame Harry," said Hermione, making said person blush.

**And she left, taking the toad less boy with her.**

"**Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

A few glares were directed at a certain red head.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

"**What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

"**Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw **_**would **_**be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

"**That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

"**Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

"**You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses.**

More people smiled at Harry's kindness.

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

"**Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, **

Charlie smiled.

**and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts,"**

"A curse breaker," said Bill at once. "It's a very interesting job."

**said Ron. **"**Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault."**

**Harry stared. **"**Really? What happened to them?"**

"**Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

A few people groaned.

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort"**

A few people looked bewildered, but Dumbledore had given Harry an approving look before looking back at his hands and before Harry could catch his eye.

**without worrying.**

"**What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

"**Er — I don't know any." Harry confessed.**

All Quidditch fans were paling at the thought.

"**What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world —" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toad less boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop.**

**He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

"**Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

"**Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

"They are," muttered several people.

"**Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

"Bond, James Bond," said Tonks before she burst out laughing along with all the Muggle-borns and Half-bloods.

Sirius was looking peeved when no one bothered to explain what was funny.

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

"**Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

Glares were being directed at the Slytherin boy and Cissy was looking at him disappointed.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.**

"**I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

A few people cheered and Malfoy blushed.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. **"**I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasley's and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

The cheering stopped at once as everyone looked at Malfoy ranging from disgust to disappointment.

"Apologize right now, Draco," said Narcissa clearly.

Malfoy looked at his mother in horror as the trio tried to hide their smiles.

"Sorry, Potter, Weasley," muttered Draco and many people in the room tried to hide their grins.

Harry nodded and Ron was looking smug.

**Both Harry and Ron stood up. **

"**Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

"**Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

"**Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"**But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle**

**Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.**

"Best thing that bloody rat ever did," muttered Sirius while Lupin silently agreed,

**Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

"**What **_**has **_**been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

"**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. **

**He looked closer at Scabbers. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep." **

"Probably the Grindylow Nargles," said Luna dreamily making many jump since she hasn't spoken since breakfast.

"Er – there are different kinds of Nargles?" asked Harry, breaking the awkward silence that Luna didn't seem to be feeling.

"Oh, yes," replied Luna simply.

**And so he had. **"**You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

"**I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. **

Narcissa started looking guilty.

**My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." **

**He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

"**You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

"I think I was just trying to be nice, but ended up sounding rather mean," said Hermione who was dreading the next few chapters.

"**Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

_Bet Ron wouldn't mind that now, _thought Charlie before instantly feeling guilty at thinking that.

"**All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

Ron groaned and several people chuckled.

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.**

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"**

Harry couldn't help but smile.

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

"**C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

"**Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

"Every year is the same reaction," said Dumbledore whose eyes were twinkling.

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

**No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.**

"**Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

"**Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; **

Lupin and Sirius snorted loudly.

Harry looked at them questioning before Sirius answered.

"It was me, Remus, James, and Lily sharing a boat. James, as usual, wasn't paying attention to instructions and hit some branches and ivy and fell out. This made the whole boat turn over and everyone got soaked." said Sirius laughing.

"Lily wasn't very pleased," said Lupin, chuckling also. "And that's an understatement."

Harry allowed himself a small smile at hearing more of his parents at Hogwarts, which Sirius saw. He realized suddenly that Harry must not hear too much and vowed to mention more of Lily and James.

**they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

"**Oi, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

"**Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. **"**Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"That's the end of the chapter," said Lupin.

"Me next!" yelled George.

"Here you go, George," said Lupin, tossing him the book lightly.

"I'm Fred, he's George,"

"Sorry – "

"Just yanking your wand, I am George," chorused the twins.

Several people snorted.


	8. Chapter 8: The Sorting Hat

"**The Sorting Hat," **read George.

**The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. **

"**Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." **

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. **

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

"**Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.**

"You really should change your speech a bit," said Sirius who was starting to relax. This was just the sorting. Nothing bad can happen in this chapter.

Minerva only gave Sirius a scathing look before nodding to a grinning Weasley twin to keep reading.

"**The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.**

"Who's the witch or wizard that came out of Slytherin?" muttered Sirius to Lupin.

Lupin opened his mouth but closed it noticing out of the corner of his eye Minerva eyeing them.

Sirius wore a triumphant look thinking that for once Lupin had no answer.

**While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor.**

"Competition between houses just strains the relationships with the others." said Hermione.

Only the professors and Harry silently agreed with her. Sirius thought there was no problem with a little healthy competition.

**I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." **

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose.**

Ron groaned in defeat and several people chuckled.

**Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

Sirius snickered. "Good luck with that, Harry,"

"**I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." **

**She left the chamber. Harry swallowed. **

"**How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron. **

"**Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." **

"FRED!" admonished Mrs. Weasley. The twins were getting cleverer though. They both smiled identical innocent smiles and Molly's face blanched looking from one to the other. Only Harry knew which one was which, but he decided not to comment.

A few people snorted.

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet —what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.**

"Stupid Mud – Muggle-born," muttered Draco. He had seen his favorite teacher and his mother eyeing him coldly before he had finished talking.

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.**

The twins, Tonks, and Sirius burst out laughing as the rest quietly chuckled.

"I do love your accidental magic, Harry," choked out Tonks.

The twins were exchanging looks and they both looked at Professor Snape already thinking of a potion to turn hair into different colors.

Snape was looking uneasy after noticing the Weasley twins looking at him. He'd have to watch his back more than ever in the future.

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"Do you always think like this, Mr. Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall, raising an eyebrow.

"Er – "

"Yes," said Ron and Hermione together. They gave fleeting smiles, but looked away when they remembered they were mad at each other.

Charlie was anxious. He didn't want Hermione to hate her best friend, but at the same time he didn't want her getting _too_ friendly with his brother…

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.**

Sirius looked like he was going to have a heart attack. He was _so_ sure nothing was going to happen during this chapter. Damn it! He let his guard down.

"**What the —?" **

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. **

Sirius relaxed. Harry realized this and snorted.

**Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"**

"They say this every year," said Lupin. "They should change it every decade or so."

"**My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? **

**He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?" **

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. **

**Nobody answered. **

Sirius snorted. "James did and gave them quite a shock. They said it was the first time in eighty years that someone spoke to them before being sorted."

Harry laughed as he soaked in more information about his parents.

"**New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" **

**A few people nodded mutely. **

"**Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know." **

"**Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." **

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. **

"**Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." **

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. **

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.**

"It _is_ an amazing sight," Hermione smiled.

**At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.**

**Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in **_**Hogwarts, A History**_**."**

"Why read my textbooks when you could recite it word for word for me," said Harry kindly to Hermione, hoping not to hurt her feelings.

Hermione merely laughed.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

Several people snorted.

_**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it**_**, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing —**

"Whaa – ?" trailed off Ron bewildered.

"It's a Muggle trick," said Harry, knowing that Hermione would have answered if it wasn't Ron asking.

Mr. Weasley's eyes widened in delight.

**noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:**

"Ready Gred?"

"Ready Forge,"

And the twins began to sing:

"_**Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**_  
_**But don't judge on what you see,**_  
_**I'll eat myself if you can find**_  
_**A smarter hat than me.**_  
Yo_**u can keep your bowlers black,**_  
_**Your top hats sleek and tall,**_  
_**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**_  
_**And I can cap them all.**_  
_**There's nothing hidden in your head**_  
_**The Sorting Hat can't see,**_  
_**So try me on and I will tell you**_  
_**Where you ought to be.**_  
_**You might belong in Gryffindor,**_  
_**Where dwell the brave at heart,**_  
_**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry**_  
_**Set Gryffindors apart;**_  
_**You might belong in Hufflepuff,**_  
_**Where they are just and loyal,**_  
_**Those patient Hufflepuffs are true**_  
_**And unafraid of toil;**_  
_**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,**_  
_**if you've a ready mind,**_  
_**Where those of wit and learning,**_  
_**Will always find their kind;**_  
_**Or perhaps in Slytherin**_  
_**You'll make your real friends,**_  
_**Those cunning folk use any means**_  
_**To achieve their ends.**_  
_**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**_  
_**And don't get in a flap!**_  
_**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**_  
_**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**_

Dumbledore was clapping loudly and everyone else reluctantly did also.

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. **

"**So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." **

The trio couldn't help but look at each other and grin. Sirius and Lupin looked at each other uneasily.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

"Nope, it's Gryffindor!" yelled Sirius and the twins proudly.

Harry was beginning to pale and glanced at all people in the room. What were they going to think of him? Would they all hate him? Was he going to lose all his friends in a mere five minutes?

Ginny was looking at Harry worriedly noticing the slightly panicky state in his eyes.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. **

"**When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!" **

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause — **

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" **

"Doesn't Neville like her?" asked Ginny to no one in particular.

Harry was kicking himself because he realized he was feeling relieved that Neville didn't like Ginny.

Bill and Charlie were grinning at each other.

**shouted the hat. **

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. **

"**Bones, Susan!" **

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. **

"**Boot, Terry!" **

"**RAVENCLAW!" **

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. **

"**Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor,**

"I _really_ don't like her," mumbled Hermione.

**and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

"So, inappropriate!" shouted Mrs. Weasley at the twins who looked away.

"**Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.**

**Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.**

Everyone silently agreed except for the headmaster and people who were sorted into said house.

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.**

Several people were glowering at the book.

"**Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" **

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" **

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

"**Granger, Hermione!" **

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. **

Charlie chuckled.

"**GRYFFINDOR!"**

"I'm surprised you're not in Ravenclaw," said Ginny.

"It considered putting me in there for about two seconds before deciding with Gryffindor," replied Hermione.

**shouted the hat. Ron groaned.**

Several people in the room were now wondering how the trio _became_ the trio.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

Almost everyone snorted.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR,"**

Ginny nodded her approval and Harry was feeling… _how was he feeling?_

**Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." **

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

"I do not swagger," said Malfoy heatedly, making all the teenagers turn their laughs into coughs.

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. **

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon"…, "Nott"…, "Parkinson"…, then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"…, then "Perks, Sally-Anne"…, **

**and then, at last — **

"**Potter, Harry!" **

McGonagall sat up a little straighter, overly curious why Harry's sorting took so long.

Sirius and Tonks merely cheered.

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. **

"_**Potter**_**, did she say?" **

"_**The **_**Harry Potter?" **

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. **

Harry's stomach was quivering with nerves. In a few seconds, everyone was going to hate him.

Ginny was looking rather alarmed at the panicky look on Harry's face.

**Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited. **

"**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, Ah my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…So where shall I put you?" **

Several mouths popped open. He could have been in any house that he wanted.

Sirius was looking much more curious about Harry's sorting than he was before. He had thought it would have been immediately Gryffindor.

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, **_**Not Slytherin, not Slytherin**_**. **

"**Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — "**

Harry looked down at the floor, waiting for cries of outburst and disgust. Everyone was frozen and Ginny finally figured out why Harry was so panicked.

Ginny knelt cautiously next to Harry to get a good look at his face.

"Harry," she said quietly, but everyone could hear her anyway. "It doesn't matter to _me_ what house you were put in," she smiled at him.

Harry could only look deep into Ginny's brown eyes and only see complete honesty and how beautiful they were.

Harry unexpectedly hugged Ginny quickly giving her a thankful look which made her blush.

"Well, this is…different," choked out Ron. He's been best friends with a slippery little Slytherin?

Hermione was shocked, but reminded herself that he could have been in any of the four houses and only smiled at Harry.

Sirius stayed quiet. He wasn't expecting this. He would need to look back on this later, but he _did_ accept Harry speaking to snakes…Sirius was torn from giving Harry support or just feeling disappointed.

Snape was still currently in shock. Potter, the most arrogant boy he has ever met besides Potter's father, was supposed to be in Slytherin? He was feeling faint.

Malfoy was looking only curiously at Harry instead of disgusted or surprised. Would he be friends with him? He rarely showed anyone his caring side, but would have Potter softened him up? Would they have been best friends instead of Granger and Weasley? Malfoy found this mind-boggling.

Everyone else in the room was looking indifferent. They knew he chose Gryffindor and that's all that really mattered.

Ginny cleared her throat for George to continue.

**no? Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

Lupin hesitated. "Harry, did you know that the hat considered putting James into Slytherin?"

Harry and Sirius' mouths popped open.

"How do you know?" they both asked.

"James told me a little before seventh year. He was afraid if he told Lily that she wouldn't speak to him. In the end, Lily admired James for having the courage to tell her and said that it was very Gryffindor of him." Lupin smiled at Harry who couldn't help but feel relieved.

"But you're not Pureblood," said Ron suddenly to Harry. He was trying and failing to keep the disgust out of his voice. Harry was rather hurt.

"The hat started putting Muggle-borns and Half-bloods into Slytherin three years before your first sorting, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore who was smiling at Ron but giving him a piercing stare.

Ron was looking unnerved and Snape and Malfoy were looking shocked.

Harry raised his eyebrows. _Tom Riddle was a Half-Blood but was put in Slytherin. What did that mean?_

Everyone was looking at Harry's thoughtful and surprised expression.

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin; he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"**

The twins cheered again and started dancing rather goofily around Harry's chair as they attempted to get rid of the tense and awkward silence.

The twins had proud looks on their faces when they managed to get a few weak chuckles from a few people and from most importantly, Harry.

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore.**

The twins and Tonks cheered.

**Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts.**

**Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

The few people who knew about what was under the turban either shuddered or glowered at the book.

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table.**

**"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave their son proud looks making Ron blush.

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him. **

"**Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.**

"Blaise isn't that bad of a fellow," said Fred making many stare at the red-head.

"He's really good at pranks and has a really cool personality once you get to know him," added George.

Malfoy was looking bewildered. His best friend was friends with Gryffindor's?

_Why didn't he ever tell me?_

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. **

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. **

On cue, Sirius' stomach growled loudly making several chuckle.

"One more chapter before lunch, I think." said Mrs. Weasley.

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

"Very accurate," said Dumbledore who was smiling, but not looking up.

**Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"**

"Nice speech, Professor!" chorused the twins.

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not. **

"**Is he — a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly. **

Harry blushed.

"**Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" **

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. **

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. **

More people glowered at the book.

"Stealing from your own kitchen doesn't count," said Hermione glaring dangerously at the books.

**Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. **

**It was all delicious. **

"**That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak. **

"**Can't you —?" **

"**I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." **

"**I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!" **

"Ron!" scowled Mrs. Weasley at her son's lack of tact.

"Don't worry, Molly," said Sirius grinning. "That's the highlight of his night. He does it every year."

"**I would **_**prefer **_**you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted. **

"_**Nearly **_**Headless? How can you be **_**nearly **_**headless?" **

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. **

"**Like **_**this**_**," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces,**

"Told you." said Sirius chuckling.

**Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row!**

Snape was giving McGonagall a smug look which Minerva gave back knowing that she's been winning for four years straight so far.

Sirius and Lupin looked at each other in horror.

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost." **

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. **

"**How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest. **

"**I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately. **

"Anyone wants to bet any galleons that Harry will figure out _why _the Bloody Baron looks like that?" asked Sirius hopefully.

No one answered. They wouldn't be surprised if Harry figured out all of Hogwart's secrets.

"You're no fun," pouted Sirius.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding… **

"Stop drooling, Padfoot," said Lupin grimacing.

Sirius started getting up from his seat with a dreamy look in his eye.

"Sit!" yelled Lupin suddenly.

Sirius suddenly sat.

"Stay,"

Sirius stayed.

"Good dog," said Lupin smugly.

Sirius snapped out of it and suddenly glared at Lupin as everyone started laughing loudly.

"Damn you and James," muttered Sirius.

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.**

"**I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.**

"Not that funny," muttered Bill, thinking of Harry's relatives.

"**What about you, Neville?" said Ron. **

"**Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. **

**My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned**

"That's horrible," muttered Ginny, horrified.

Harry felt the same way, but started cursing himself when he started thinking that Ginny cared _too_ much for Neville.

"That's a Pure-blood family, for you," said Malfoy casually, a little confused why there were so many horrified looks.

**but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go.**

Many people gasped in horror.

**But I bounced all the way down the garden and into the road.**

There were a few tense chuckles.

**They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." **

"I never did like him," muttered Kinsgley low enough that no one heard him.

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons **("**I **_**do **_**hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; **"**You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing — ").**

A few chuckles broke out.

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

"Very fitting description, Mr. Potter," said the twins making the teens laugh and the adults to disguise chuckles as coughs. Snape wasn't fooled as he glowered at the two red heads that were cheerfully ignoring him.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

"What?" asked a few people (Sirius, of course, being the loudest) alarmed.

"**Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head. **

Harry only winced, but was used to his scar prickling by now.

"**What is it?" asked Percy. **

"**N-nothing." **

Snape couldn't help but glance at his arm. Did the boy feel his mark or was that because of Quirrel?

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

Snape was not looking forward to Black's rage at Severus' obvious hatred toward Potter during Potions. Snape sighed quietly, knowing that this was one of his very few and far apart mistakes.

Harry Potter may not be as arrogant as his father.

"**Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy. **

"**Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." **

Harry looked suddenly thoughtful. "Learning more about the Dark Arts would be rather interesting to learn," murmured Harry loudly, not realizing he said his thoughts out aloud.

He blushed at the sudden stares being directed toward him.

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again. **

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. **

**The hall fell silent. **

"**Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." **

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. **

The twins grinned noticing belatedly that Mrs. Weasley was glaring at them suspiciously.

"I swear, if you two – "

"We haven't been in there!" pleaded the twins. "Ron's been there more than we have!"

"WHAT!"

Mrs. Weasley looked stricken and Ron looked away as he urged George to read before he got his mother's wrath.

"**I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

Several teachers and adults rolled their eyes, knowing it was a pointless rule and reminder.

"**Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.**

"Or catch a Rememberall," said Hermione before winking at Harry.

Harry laughed and Minerva was looking proud.

Charlie had to keep chanting to himself that Hermione only saw Harry as a sibling and vice-versa.

"**And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." **

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. **

"**He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy. **

"**Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." **

"Prat," muttered Ginny quietly that only Harry heard.

"**And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

A few people snorted, while Minerva blanched that Harry had noticed.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

"**Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" **

**And the school bellowed: **

The twins started to sing and eventually so did Tonks and Sirius, remembering the words by heart as they tried to be louder than the other.

"_**Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,**_  
_**Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot."**_

Several people were rubbing their ears because Tonks and Sirius were practically screaming near the end. The twins merely laughed and Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling rather rapidly.

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

A few people laughed.

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

**Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries.**

**They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. **

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him. **

"**Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself." **

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. **

"**Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" **

Sirius rolled his eyes. "He won't if you talk about the Bloody Baron that early,"

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. **

"**Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" **

"Peeves never pranked us," said Sirius. "He would usually help us."

McGonagall started muttering under her breath.

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked. **

"**Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. **

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armour as he passed. **

"**You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." **

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. **

"Your dad was such the charmer that the Fat Lady sometimes didn't ask him for the password," said Lupin, rolling his eyes.

"**Password?" she said. **

"**Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. **

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. **

**Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. **

"**Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get **_**off**_**, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets." **

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once. **

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

"You have the most interesting dreams, Harry," said Luna suddenly while she stared at the ceiling.

"Er – thanks Luna," said Harry a little confused.

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"You do now!" chorused the twins, Sirius, and Tonks.

"Me next!" yelled Fred.

George looked at the next chapters title and grinned evily. He showed it to his brother who now wore an identical smile.

George slowly got up and held it out for Snape.

"Here you are Professor," said George pompously. "You are going to _love _this chapter. My brother Forge will read after you,"

Snape glanced at the chapter title and groaned under his breath and shot a glare at the Weasley's departing back.

He sighed. "**The Potions Master**,"


	9. Chapter 9: The Potions Master

Snape glanced at the chapter title and groaned under his breath and shot a glare at the Weasley twins' departing back.

He sighed. "**The Potions Master**,"

"You know it's bad when Snivillus has a whole chapter to himself," muttered Sirius to Lupin smirking.

"**There, look." **

"**Where?" **

"**Next to the tall kid with the red hair." **

Ron tried to hide his contempt and raging jealousy of his best mate's fame.

"**Wearing the glasses?" **

"**Did you see his face?" **

"**Did you see his scar?" **

**Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day.**

"That must get annoying," muttered Tonks.

**People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again,**

"That explains why I handed out so many detentions," said Minerva, smiling wryly. Snape silently agreed.

**staring. Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.**

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts:**

"How do you know there are a hundred and forty-two staircases?" asked Fred suspiciously.

"Er – _A History of Magic_," said Harry cautiously.

Everyone heard a loud thud. George had fainted.

**wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place,**

"The kitchen," said Fred absentmindedly as he tried waking his twin.

**and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. **

**The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armour could walk.**

"They can," muttered Minerva.

**The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open.**

**Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

Sirius and Lupin laughed fondly. "We might of taught Peeves a few things," said Sirius grinning.

Harry heard McGonagall muttering about wishing she could give detentions to immature adults.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning.**

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.**

A few people rolled their eyes. Fred had suddenly whispered something in George's ear making him stand up immediately. The look of horror on his face worried a few people but it instantly changed to confusion when they saw Fred was smirking.

**He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrel, who was passing.**

"Wow, I forgot about that," said Harry as he glowered at the book.

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later.**

Lupin suddenly blushed. Sirius noticed and started laughing.

"James had kicked Mrs. Norris and she would try to follow him to every class after that. We befriended young Mooney here because Mrs. Norris _adored_ Remus. We could get away with anything if Mooney was with us," said Sirius with a faraway expression.

The twin's eyes widened, wishing they could befriend the cat. Several people were laughing and Minerva was looking stern and rather shocked. _So that's how they got away with so much..._

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.

**Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.**

Hermione rolled her eyes.

**They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.**

Ginny grinned, knowing Neville was really good at Herbology and loved the subject. He had cured her acne problem when she attended Hogwarts, which helped her confidence in the long run.

Harry noticed Ginny's grin and frowned. He had a sneaky suspicion she was thinking of Neville. Not that there was anything wrong with that…

Ginny saw Harry looking at her and smirked to herself. So, Hermione was right, again. She really needed to stop doubting the girl. Making Harry jealous is fun!

**Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost.**

Many nodded in agreement. McGonagall had to stop herself from nodding along with everyone else.

**Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.**

Several of the adults chuckled at their friend.

"Professor Flitwick told me in the staff room that he thought you were James for a second, Potter," said Minerva smiling.

Harry couldn't help but grin.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross.**

"And yet…" McGonagall trailed off, staring sternly at the young black-haired wizard.

"It's not like I do it on purpose all the time," said Harry sheepishly.

**Strict and clever,**

"You were named after the Roman Goddess of Wisdom," said Luna dreamily.

Minerva raised her eyebrows in surprise.

**she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. **

"**Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." **

"You never kicked us out," said Sirius grinning and raised an eyebrow.

Minerva's lips twitched.

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.**

"That's amazing you could that on your first day," whispered Charlie into Hermione's ear stunned.

Hermione blushed.

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days.**

**His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, **

The trio grimaced.

**but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went. Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start. **

**Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. **

**They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.**

Several people snorted.

"**What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge. **

"**Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we'll be able to see if it's true." **

"**Wish McGonagall favored us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

"Of course not," sniffed Minerva, a little peeved that her house thought of her that way.

**Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

**Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls.**

**This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl: **

_**Dear Harry,**_

_**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?**_

_**I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.**_

_**Hagrid**_

"That was nice of Hagrid," said Lupin, smiling sadly.

"Professor, can I speak with you?" asked Sirius to Dumbledore quietly. Only Lupin could see the hint of anger.

"Certainly."

The two men got up and disapeared into the Meeting Room.

"Alright, I would like to cut through the pretenses," said Sirius at once.

Dumbledore waved his hand for Sirius to continue.

"First off, why aren't you looking at Harry? I can tell he is fustrated. And second, why the bloody hell was I not allowed to take Harry!? I'm his God-Father. James and Lily gave me that responsibility and now it was all in vain!" exploded Sirius as he threw his hands up in anger.

Dumbledore displayed calmness, but underneath he wasn't.

"Mr. Black," said Dumbledore. "Take a seat." he motioned to the seat across from him.

Sirius kicked the chair out and sat in it moodily, glaring at the headmaster.

"You do know that there is a certain connection with Voldemort and Harry." stated Dumbledore, giving Sirius a piercing look.

Sirius was taken aback. Not expecting the conversation to turn in this direction. He slowly nodded.

"A bit, yes,"

"You are not permitted to repeat this," said Dumbledore sternly. "But I am afraid that Voldemort is close to succeeding to figuring out the connection between them. This can result in Voldemort messing with Harry's head and possible possession."

Sirius' was gaping in horror. Voldemort possessing Harry? It was hard to wrap his head around it.

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "I have been avoiding Mr. Potter's glances because I fear if he looks at me it will make it worse. Harry can, at times, feel Voldemort's emotions. Looking at me I fear will cause the revulsion and impulses of not Harry, but Voldemort."

Sirius was stunned into silence. Not truly believing how complex looking at Dumbledore could cause.

"Now about Harry's living conditions," he continued. "I will admit I didn't expect the Dursley's to be this extreme to their distaste toward Harry, but it is for his protection. Along with Lily's sacrifice, protection runs in his veins. Lily's sister, Petunia, is the only remaining relative to Harry on his mother's side. As long as he still calls the Dursley's place _home_, no one can touch him there. Not even Voldemort."

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was protected from all Dark Wizards, but not from his evil relatives.

"Are you sure there is no alternative?" asked Sirius quietly.

Dumbledore studied Sirius for a long time. "In time, maybe. But I don't want you to get your hopes up if the time occurs and it is impossible." he said finally.

Sirius nodded mutely.

Dumbledore clapped his hands and got up heading for the door.

"Am I allowed to share this with Remus?" asked Sirius finally.

Dumbledore looked back and pondered for a few short seconds. "You may, Mr. Black.

They soon left the room and Lupin was surprised to see a sullen Padfoot.

"I'll tell you later tonight," muttered Sirius to Lupin.

Lupin gave a curt nod.

Harry was bewildered and even more fustrated than before with Dumbledore and slightly with Sirius.

Snape was holding back a sneer as he waited for everyone to shut their mouths and listen. Finally, he was able to resume.

**Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled **_**Yes, please, see you later **_**on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. **

**It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far. **

A few adults raised their eyebrows.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong.**

More raised eyebrows and disbelieving looks. Snape grimaced before continuing.

**Snape didn't dislike Harry he **_**hated **_**him.**

Many eyes narrowed in Snape's direction.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name. **

"**Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new — **_**celebrity**_**." **

Sirius glared at Snape, putting all emotions from the previous meeting with Dumbledore away for later.

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.**

A few of the teens shivered.

"**You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." **

"Great speech until the "dunderheads" part," said Tonks before she snorted.

**More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

Hermione blushed.

**Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"You don't learn that until fifth year," said Lupin casting Snape an inquiring look.

_**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what**_**? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air. **

"**I don't know, sir," said Harry. **

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer. **

"**Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything." **

**He ignored Hermione's hand. **

"**Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" **

"End of first year," muttered Sirius, glaring at Snape with loathing.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

"**I don't know, sir." **

"**Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in **_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**_**? **

"Wrong book," muttered Snape, but didn't elaborate when he felt the glares burning holes into his body.

**Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand. **

"**What is the difference, Potter, between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?" **

"That's seventh year," spoke up Mad-Eye, looking at Snape with both eyes.

"It's also a trick question," muttered Lupin.

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling. **

"**I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"**

A few people snorted at Lily's obvious check that Harry had inherited.

**A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus' eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased. **

"**Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. **

Charlie's frown deepened.

**"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and Wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" **

"Because you didn't tell them to!" said Bill frustrated. Even Snape wasn't _that_ bad when he attended Hogwarts.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."**

"Going a bit easy on him, Professor?" piped up Ginny grinning cheekily.

A few people laughed and Snape narrowed his eyes, but didn't comment.

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs**

"Draco is my God-son," said Snape suddenly.

Severus didn't like Lucius that much but he wasn't going to turn down the offer.

He got a few incredulous looks which shifted over to Malfoy who blushed.

**when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon.**

**Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus' cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

"Poor Neville," said Ginny, who had to hide her smirk when she saw Harry glance at her again.

Ginny caught Hermione's eye and they both grinned evilly.

"**Idiot boy!" snarled Snape,**

McGonagall frowned.

**clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" **

**Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. **

"**Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. **

**You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you?**

Many protests were voiced around the room while Snape wanted to get the damn chapter done already.

Dumbledore was looking at Snape disappointed.

**That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."**

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.**

"Don't know why you're complaining Harry," said Ginny snorting. "That's got to be a record of least points lost in a week for you,"

Everyone silently agreed except for a few adults who looked bewildered.

"**Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."**

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week —**_**why **_**did Snape hate him so much?**

Dumbledore sighed sadly.

"**Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"**

**At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "**_**Back**_**, Fang —**_**back**_**."**

**Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. **

"**Hang on," he said. "**_**Back**_**, Fang." **

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. **

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. **

Malfoy had to bite his lip so hard from commenting that he felt his lip starting to bleed.

"**Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

"It's the normal names you have to watch out for," said Hermione wisely.

"**This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. **

"**Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. **

Ron felt bitter. _Yeah, just another Weasley._

"**I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." **

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes.

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes. **

**Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."**

"**An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime.**

Almost everyone was showing varying signs of amusement.

**D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it."**

"Second year," muttered Harry sadly, remembering the fiasco of the Chamber of Secrets.

**Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students. **

"**But he seemed to really **_**hate **_**me." **

"**Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?" **

**Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that. **

"**How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot — great with animals."**

Charlie grinned at Hagrid's compliment and the obvious change of topic.

**Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the **_**Daily Prophet**_**: **

_**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**_

_**Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.**_

"_**But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon.**_

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date. **

"**Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!" **

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake**

Almost everyone groaned.

**Harry read the story again. **_**The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. **_**Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package.**

**Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

"You figured that out way too fast," mumbled Minerva.

**As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid.**

**Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

Snape was feeling relieved that he had finished the chapter. He then saw Sirius glaring at him furiously.

_Damn,_ he thought to himself as he tossed the book to whichever twin. _Thank Merlin our wands don't work or I'd be at St. Mungo's for a month._

Sirius was thinking along the same wave length of Snape's… just a little more detailed.


	10. Chapter 10: the Midnight Duel

_Damn,_ Snape thought to himself as he tossed the book to whichever twin. _Thank Merlin our wands don't work or I'd be at St. Mungo's for a month._

Sirius was thinking along the same wave length of Snape's… just a little more detailed.

They were glaring at each other; studying each other's movements.

The letter said that wands were useless, but there were other ways to conflict harm…

"Lunch, I think!" said Mrs. Weasley a little panicky.

A few people left hurriedly (Fred and George had to be pulled out of the sitting room by their ears) except for Harry, Dumbledore, and Lupin.

Snape and Sirius were both standing a couple feet apart glaring at each other with loathing. Lupin and Harry were a little behind Sirius warily and Dumbledore was merely leaning against a wall studying the two men.

"Look, Snivillus, my God-son has done _nothing_ to you. This is probably all about James and getting back at him." said Sirius, being the first one to speak.

"He is as arrogant as his father…and you," sneered Snape, his beetle black eyes glittering with hatred.

Harry wanted to protest, but Lupin shot him a look.

"So what if he's like James!?" roared Sirius, taking a menacing step further. Snape didn't move.

"Ah, yes," sneered Snape. "Always following Potter like a dog. I forgot you worshipped him when he was alive."

Sirius was clearly fuming and took yet another step forward.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about James that way!" shouted Sirius. "He saved your bloody arse!"

Snape seemed to be paling and was glaring at Sirius with even more loathing. "He only wanted to play the hero," sneered Snape. "He was in on the whole thing,"

"NO HE BLOODY WASN'T! IT WAS ALL MY FAULT!" bellowed Sirius at the top of his voice.

Harry was sure that everyone in the Room of Requirement could hear the conversation now.

"LIES!" shouted Snape back.

"Enough," said Dumbledore quietly, but his voice seemed to carry around the room powerfully and with authority. "You have to put your differences aside. A war is soon to come and when it does you never know who will be there to protect your back."

Harry could swear this was directed more at Snape, but he might have imagined it.

Dumbledore was giving them piercing looks and reluctantly Sirius stepped away from Snape and stiffly turned his back to come by Harry and Lupin. Snape rigidly went towards Dumbledore.

"You alright, Pads?" asked Lupin quietly.

Sirius stiffly nodded before turning to Harry. "Harry, your father might have been a bit of a show off, but he was loyal and a true Gryffindor."

Sirius' staring was slightly overwhelming, but Harry nodded anyway.

Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulders and the three went into the kitchen ignoring the stares as they ate ravishingly upon a beef stew.

Meanwhile in the sitting room:

"What did you mean by that, Albus?" asked Snape quietly. "Think I'm going to be on the Dark Lord's side?"

"You _are_ Voldemort's right hand man," started Dumbledore.

"Which I do on your orders!" said Snape angrily, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"But, acting more kindly to others couldn't hurt," concluded Dumbledore, unfazed by Snape's tone.

Snape was silent for a few moments. "Are you talking about Potter?"

"I'm talking about everyone in this room," said Dumbledore before walking away with a whish of his maroon cloak leaving a stricken Snape behind.

After a rather awkward lunch everyone filed into the sitting room into their arm chairs. But this time, Ron had beaten Bill to the spot next to Hermione.

During the silent lunch, Ron realized instead of being mad at Hermione he should only work harder at winning her and beating Charlie. He knew this was a brilliant plan.

Hermione was surprised at Ron's grin when he sat next to her on the couch, but assumed he was going to stop being an arse and would start to accept her and Charlie.

Charlie, Bill, Harry, and Ginny were looking rather worried and Bill swore that he would beat Ron to the seat next time.

Charlie was feeling a bit panicky and angry at his brother already guessing Ron's plan. He quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and felt relieved at seeing the smile on her face because of this.

Ron was trying his hardest not to glower, knowing he _would_ win in the end. He was always good at strategy with chess, how could this be any different?

The twins were starting to notice the hand holding, the glowering from Ron, and the worried looks between Bill, Charlie, Harry, and Ginny. They would ask Bill later for the details.

Fred cleared his throat and picked up the book.

"**The Midnight Duel**," he read.

There were a few raised eyebrows at the title.

**Harry had never believed he would a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.**

Draco tried hiding looking sheepish before he became mad. He was nothing like that fat Muggle! Right?

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lesson would be starting on Thursday —**

"How is that bad?" asked Sirius bewildered.

**and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

"Ah."

"**Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

The people that witnessed Harry's first lesson (besides Draco) smirked.

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

A few people chuckled and were all thinking along the same lines that Harry was definetly James' son.

"**You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

"Not really," muttered Harry. Draco glanced at Harry shocked. _Was Potter giving him a compliment?_

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

Everyone turned to look at the young Slytherin who promptly blushed.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.**

"WHAT?!" shouted Mrs. Weasley outraged.

Charlie tried not to glower at Ron for using his broom without asking but thankfully seemed to only look at him with disappointment.

Ron's ears were turning rather red.

**Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly.**

"It's a little boring to watch, but fun to play," said Hermione reasonably.

**Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.**

Hermione and Harry laughed, but instead of blushing Ron merely smiled and nudged Hermione's shoulder playfully.

Charlie and Bill were exchanging looks.

Hermione was simply glad that she had her best friend back. She was surprised that all nerves in her stomach from being with Ron in the past wasn't there anymore. _Why?_

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

Almost everyone silently agreed.

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried.**

Charlie grinned.

"I could try to teach you if you like," whispered Charlie into Hermione's ear.

Hermione blushed but quickly whispered "Sure, thanks." and smiled warmly.

Ron was looking rather disgusted at hearing this and even more when she agreed. He _knew_ how much she hated Quidditch and yet she was fine with _Charlie_ teaching her.

**At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**.**

Hermione glared at Harry.

"Sorry, Hermione," said Harry earnestly.

Hermione chuckled at Harry's horrified expression.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course.**

Narcissa glared at her son.

**Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

Malfoy knew that was pretty arrogant of him, but he couldn't help the chance the rub it in Potter's face at the time.

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke. **

"**It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh…" His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "…you've forgotten something…"**

"It really is pointless since you obviously won't remember what you've forgotten," said Tonks.

A few people nodded.

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

Snape raised his eyebrows. He didn't remember seeing this happen.

**Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

"I've had a lot of practice," said Minerva shooting a glance at Sirius and Lupin who both grinned sheepishly.

"**What's going on?" **

"**Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor." **

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table. **"**Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. **

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet**

"Perfect day for flying," said Sirius, Charlie, and Tonks who all sighed dreamily.

**as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"They do," muttered all Quidditch enthusiasts.

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. **

"**Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

There were a few shudders around the room making Hermione roll her eyes.

"**Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'" **

"**UP" everyone shouted. Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, **

Many nods of approval were given to Harry.

**but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. **

**Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground. **

"Interesting theory, Harry," said Dumbledore smiling, looking at his hands.

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

"I guess it _does_ depend on the person," said Harry hesitantly.

Draco was gaping at Potter, knowing that it was almost a compliment.

"**Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —" **

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips. **

There were a few chuckles. _Leave it to Neville to get in trouble._

"**Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and — WHAM —**

Many gasps were repeated around the room.

**a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap.**

Almost everyone winced in sympathy for the poor boy.

Mrs. Weasley had her hand covering her mouth in horror as she gave a frightened squeak.

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.**

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his. **

"**Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get." **

**She turned to the rest of the class. **

"**None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear." **

There were a few eye rolls at that.

"Leaving a bunch of eleven year olds with broomsticks without supervision, what a great idea!" said Tonks sarcastically.

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him. No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

Ginny wanted to smack the Slytherin boy for his arrogance but a look from Harry said not to.

"**Did you see his face, the great lump?" **

**The other Slytherins joined in. **"**Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil. **

"**Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought **_**you'd **_**like fat little cry-babies, Parvati."**

"That's mature," said Bill, rolling his eyes.

"**Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up. **

"**Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily. **

The many people that weren't there sat up a little straighter, waiting to see what Harry did.

"**I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?" **

"**Give it **_**here**_**!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he **_**could **_**fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" **

**Harry grabbed his broom. **"_**No!" **_**shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble." Harry ignored her.**

"You're flying when you haven't been taught yet!?" asked Mrs. Weasley panicky.

Mr. Weasley was attempting and failing to calm his wife who was getting a little hysterical.

**Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him — and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught — this was easy, this was **_**wonderful**_**.**

"Like father, like son," muttered Kingsley.

**He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

Ron did admit that was pretty cool to see, but he felt jealous that Harry had done so well without training and practice.

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"I was," mumbled Draco.

"**Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!" **

"**Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried. **

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping. **

"**No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called. The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy. **

"Body guards, that's what they are," muttered Hermione annoyed.

"**Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground. Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall.**

**He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball — wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.**

Almost everyone looked stunned and were giving Harry awed looks.

"Your first time on broomstick and you managed to dive like that?" asked Sirius amazed.

"Bloody hell, Harry, you and I need to have a match!" said Charlie stunned that an eleven-year-old pulled off such a dramatic dive.

Harry was looking embarrassed with all the attention and merely nodded at Charlie.

"**HARRY POTTER!" **

**His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling. **

"You aren't seriously going to punish him after something like that, Minnie, are you?" asked Sirius disapprovingly.

Minerva didn't comment.

"_**Never **_— **in all my time at Hogwarts —" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, **"— **how **_**dare **_**you — might have broken your neck "**

"**It wasn't his fault, Professor —" **

"**Be quiet, Miss Patil —" **

"**But Malfoy —" **

"**That's **_**enough**_**, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now." **

"It was worth it in the end," said the twins before winking at Harry.

Harry couldn't hide an impish smile.

**Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it.**

"Really, Harry?" asked Hermione. "You either see the best in everything or the absolute worst."

Everyone who _really_ knew Harry silently agreed.

**He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?**

"Probably lock me in my room and throw away the key," muttered Harry bitterly not realizing that everyone heard and were looking at Harry bewildered.

The twins and Ron grunted remembering his second year and what the Dursley's did to his window and door.

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside. **

"**Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him? **

Hermione was looking suspiciously at Harry for automatically thinking that. Sirius and Lupin were thinking the same way while Harry looked sheepishly at his shoes.

"Harry, I swear – " started Ginny.

"It wasn't that often!" protested Harry, but knew he said the wrong thing at the looks of horror on everyone's face.

"Not that often?" asked Sirius softly, anger laced into each word.

"Remus, screw talking to him tonight." said Sirius. "Harry, meeting room, now please,"

Sirius and Lupin both got up and waited for Harry to cautiously do the same.

After they disappeared into the Meeting Room a few protests were raised in the sitting room directed toward Albus.

"He can't stay there anymore!" fretted Molly.

"I have my reasons for Harry staying at his Aunt and Uncle's house," said Dumbledore calmly.

More arguments and protests were raised while it was two against one in the Meeting Room.

"It was just a thought! I was eleven! What do you think of when someone wants to borrow wood?" asked Harry despretely, just wanting this conversation to end.

"It definitely isn't a cane to be beaten with," growled Sirius.

"Harry," started Lupin calmly who was secretly raging inside. "Before you were eleven, did they ever hit you?"

Harry looked down, considering what to say.

"Er – a couple years before I was eleven there were a few pushing and shoving a bit roughly, but that's it," said Harry quickly. He didn't want to go into more detail knowing if they knew the whole truth they would blow up. "Can I leave?" asked Harry tiredly.

Sirius nodded but stayed put as Harry went back to his arm chair ignoring the many stares.

"He's not telling us everything," muttered Sirius to Lupin, sitting down exhausted in a tall wooden chair.

Lupin had the same grave expression as Sirius on his face.

"Probably not," said Lupin wearily as he too went to sit in a chair

"What am I going to do? Why won't he tell me everything!?" Sirius got up and started kicking the wall again in frustration.

In the sitting room everyone could only hear pounding making everyone look at the door warily.

"I'll go check," said Tonks quietly.

She got up and cautiously opened the door slowly.

"Remus?"

"Here," said Lupin tiredly who was staring at an angry Padfoot.

Tonks timidly went over to Lupin and sat lightly on his lap. They were currently having an on and off relationship depending on the time of month, but still Tonks had hope Lupin would realize she didn't care about his "furry little problem" which is how Sirius put it.

Lupin looked at her surprised, but smiled lightly and squeezed her waist.

"What's wrong with Sirius?" asked Tonks quietly.

Lupin sighed. "He thinks that Harry doesn't trust him enough to tell him everything."

Tonks nodded in understanding. She got hesitantly off Lupin's lap and went over to Sirius.

"Wotcher, cousin," said Tonks softly. She knew what Sirius was like when he was in one of these moods. He would take everything out of proportion and when more and more things piled up it got worse. "Let's go read more of the book and see what other things Harry gets himself into trouble with, eh?"

Sirius sighed loudly, but agreed.

After everyone was seated back in the sitting room, Fred resumed reading.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused. **"**Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry. **

"**In here." Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard. **

"**Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing.**

"He didn't argue with you, Professor?" asked Tonks amazed.

Everyone was giving Minerva impressed looks.

**Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys. **

"**Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker." Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight. **

The twins groaned.

"**Are you serious, Professor?" **

"No, I am!" yelled Sirius, trying to get away the angst. Half the room laughed.

"**Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?" **

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs. **

"**He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

"OI!" said Charlie loudly with a peeved expression. Minerva gave him an apologetic look while Hermione laughed.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once. **

"**Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly. **

"**Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained. **

"**He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light —speedy — we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor — a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say." **

"**I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. **_**Flattened **_**in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"**

"Not that you would want to," said the twins snickering.

Everyone snorted except for said person who gave them a scathing look.

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry. **

"**I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you." **

**Then she suddenly smiled. **

"**Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself." **

There were many nods in agreement.

"**You're **_**joking**_**." **

**It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it. **

"You made Ron forget about food, Harry?" asked Fred bewildered.

"That's an amazing achievement!" exclaimed George in awe.

The Weasley's, Harry and Hermione laughed as Ron's ears started turning scarlet.

"_**Seeker**_**?" he said. "But first years **_**never **_— **you must be the youngest house player in about " **

" — **a century," said Harry, shovelling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." **

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry. **

"**I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." **

Almost everyone snorted. "Gossip at Hogwarts travels fast," said Tonks.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over. **

"**Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters." **

"**I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

"Wood, sounds a lot like James," said Sirius chuckling weakly as everyone laughed at the young Quidditch captain's enthusiasm.

"**Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school." **

"**Bet it's that one behind the statue of - - - that we found in our first week. See you."**

"Wait, you skipped it!" accused Ron.

"Ah, little bro, some things should remain secret," said Fred before winking at Ron.

Everyone laughed and Ron glowered at his brother.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. **

"**Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" **

"**You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. **

**There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

"**I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" **

"**Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?" **

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.

Ron looked down away from his mother's piercing glare.

"Probably a trap." muttered Sirius to Lupin who agreed.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. **

"**Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." **

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. **

"**What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?" **

"**Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. **

"You said it casually, Ronald?" asked Hermione while she rolled her eyes.

**Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

Draco was looking rather sheepish as he carefully looked away from his mother. He _was_ hoping for him to agree because he had already tipped Filch off before talking to Potter.

"**And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" **

"**Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. **

Mad-Eye nodded approvingly.

"**Excuse me." **

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger. **

"**Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. **

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry. **

"**I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —" **

"**Bet you could," Ron muttered. **

"— **and you **_**mustn't **_**go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you." **

"**And it's really none of your business," said Harry. **

"**Good-bye," said Ron.**

"Sorry, Hermione," said both Harry and Ron.

Harry said it sincerely, but Ron said it airily since he said it so many times it became repetitive.

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as possible.**

"**If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." **

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

"One side is the Lily talking and the other is James," said Lupin amused at Harry's thought process.

"**Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go." **

**They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." **

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown. **

"_**You!**_**" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!" **

"**I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this." **

A few people looked at Hermione in horror. Percy who was rather quiet during readings was looking rather bitter that everyone thought coming to him was a bad thing when he was prefect.

Charlie was rather curious why she is more laxed with rule breaking now than before.

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering. **

"**Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. **

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose. **

Hermione looked indignant that she was being compared to a goose.

"**Don't you **_**care **_**about Gryffindor, do you **_**only **_**care about yourselves, **_**I **_**don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

"**Go away." **

"**All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —" **

**But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower. **

"I hate it when that happens," muttered the teens, Sirius, and Tonks.

"**Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly. **

"**That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late." **

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them. **

"**I'm coming with you," she said. **

"**You are **_**not**_**." **

"**D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up." **

"**You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly. **

"**Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something." **

"Only _you_ can get them to stop bickering," muttered McGonagall.

**It was a sort of snuffling. **

"**Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. **

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer. **

"**Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed." **

"Maybe that's why the Rememberall turned red," said Luna absentmindedly.

Almost everyone looked at the young Ravenclaw bewildered.

"**Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." **

"**How's your arm?" said Harry. **

"Such a gentleman," murmured Mrs. Weasley, smiling at Harry.

Harry didn't notice, but Ron did. _Was one of his worst fears true? Did his mother prefer Harry over him for a son?_

"**Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute." **

"**Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —" **

"**Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already." **

"The ghosts usually don't deal with student problems or detentions," said Lupin. "Except for Peeves," he added as an after thought.

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. **

"**If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you." **

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies,**

Hermione blushed.

**but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. **

Hermione didn't know that. She thought that he had literally hissed… what does that mean? She didn't say her suspicions aloud for Harry's sake.

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky.**

"I don't know how you survived two years without the Marauders Map," said Sirius wistfully. "It would have made things so much easier."

The twins looked at Sirius curiously. _How did he know about the map?_

**They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room. **

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. **

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. **

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" boomed Mad-Eye, making everyone jump and Tonks' hair to turn red.

**They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once.**

**The minutes crept by. **

"**He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered. **

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy. **

"**Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." **

A few people gasped. Sirius and Lupin nodded their heads, suspicions confirmed. It was a trap.

"Filch is really creepy," muttered Tonks.

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room. **

"**They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding." **

"**This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified;**

Hermione winced. Charlie saw and he raised an eyebrow inquiringly at her.

"Second year," she whispered into his ear. He nodded and squeezed her hand in reassurance not exactly sure _what_ he was assuring her of, but she smiled in response.

**they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor. The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

Almost everyone winced, positive that the trio and Neville would be caught.

"**RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead,**

"Of course," many muttered amused.

**without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

"**I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

"**I —**_**told **_— **you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."**

"Not the time," groaned Bill before winking at a glaring Hermione.

"**We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible." **

"**Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." **

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that. **

A few people snorted.

"**Let's go." **

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. **

**It was Peeves.**

Almost everyone that was familiar with the interfering Poltergeist groaned loudly.

**He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. **

"**Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out." **

**Peeves cackled. **

"**Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty." **

"**Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please." **

"**Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know." **

"**Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake. **

There were many eye rolls and groans. Ron blushed.

"**STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" **

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked. **

Lupin frowned. Why did that sound familiar?

"**This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"**

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves' shouts. **

"**Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "**_**Alohomora!**_**" The lock clicked and the door swung open**

"That's impressive a first year could do the unlocking charm _and_ with another wizard's wand," said Dumbledore, winking at Hermione with his twinkling blue eyes. Many nodded in bewildered agreement as Hermione blushed at the compliment.

— **they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. **

"**Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me." **

"**Say 'please.'" **

"**Don't mess with me, Peeves, now **_**where did they go**_**?" **

"**Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice. **

"He's not going to say anything," said Sirius relieved and amused.

"**All right —**_**please**_**." **

"**NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. **

"**He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get **_**off**_**, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. "**_**What**_**?" **

**Harry turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

Many eyes widened and people leaned forward or straightened up in their chairs in anticipation.

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"WHAT IN MERLIN'S BEARD IS THAT THING DOING IN A SCHOOL?!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley making many rub their ears.

"Wicked!" yelled the twins in awe that their brother and friends got to see something so brilliant.

The rest of the Weasley's were looking rather shocked that Molly had sworn.

Dumbledore didn't comment. Fred decided to keep reading.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant. **

**Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch. **

"I don't know, Forge," said Fred. "That's a difficult choice."

"Indeed, Gred, indeed," said George.

A few tense chuckles were said in response.

**They fell backward — Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster.**

**They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**"**Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces. **

"**Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs. **

"YOU WERE LUCKY YOU WEREN'T KILLED!" shouted Mrs. Weasley, outraged her child and friends were put in danger.

Mrs. Weasley hurried over to Ron and hugged him tight who seemed oblivious to the silent laughter taking place at Ron's embarrassed expression and blushing face.

Sirius wanted to do the same thing to Harry, but had the sense not to embarrass his God-son to that extreme. As long as nothing got worse than a three-headed dog…

After everyone had calmed down and were in their original arm chairs Fred resumed reading.

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

"**What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

A few people chuckled.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

"The floor?" suggested Charlie amused getting an answer of a jab in the ribs from a bushy-haired girl who was glaring playfully.

Ron was ready to gag at the obvious flirting taking place.

"**The floor?" Harry suggested.**

A few people snorted.

**"I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads." **

"**No, **_**not **_**the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." **

Lupin nodded, another suspicion confirmed. It has to be guarding whatever Hagrid took from Gringotts on Dumbledore's orders.

**She stood up, glaring at them. **

"**I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled. **

"Need to get your priorities right, Hermione?" asked Tonks, bemused.

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." **

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open. **"**No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you." **

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. **

**The dog was guarding something…What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts. **

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"That's the end of the chapter," said Fred.

"What's the next chapter?" asked Hermione.

Fred turned the page. "Halloween,"

The trio looked at each other half amused and half worried.

"Kingsley, do you mind reading?" asked Harry casually.

"Sure," the deep voice of Kingsley responded surprised and took the book from a Weasley twin.

"**Halloween,"**


	11. Chapter 11: Halloween

"**Halloween,"** read Kinsgley.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.**

**Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one.**

"James," muttered almost everyone amused.

**In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.**

"**It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

"Or both." muttered Ginny.

"**Or both," said Harry.**

Ginny tried to hide her blush and Harry smiled.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

"The Sorc – " started Ron before getting cut off by a hand to the mouth by Hermione.

"Don't ruin the story!" she said sternly.

Hermione quickly took her hand away from his face much to Charlie's satisfaction.

Lupin was looking thoughtful. Was Ron going to say the Sorcerers' Stone? He has to have hope he was wrong, but two inches long…valuable…dangerous… it _did_ fit.

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again. **

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. **

Harry was looking down ashamed that he had thought like that making Hermione laugh at how sorry Harry looked. She was disappointed that Ron seemed unfazed. But, then again, he was always rude and head strong…

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

Harry couldn't hold back a smile but sighed sadly remembering what the Whomping Willow did to his beloved broom.

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor.**

"Poor bacon," muttered Ron sadly just loud enough for Hermione to hear making her laugh. Charlie tried not to grimace when he saw Ron's smirk towards him after Hermione turned away.

**They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said: **

_**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.**_

_**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. **_

_**Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.**_

_**Professor McGonagall**_

"The school bought you a broomstick?" said Sirius in awe, his eyes widening.

Harry could only nod and try not to laugh at Sirius' dreamy expression.

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle.**

A few people groaned.

"Damn Slytherin should mind his own business," muttered Sirius.

**Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it. **

"**That's a broomstick," he said,**

"Obviously," muttered Tonks who proceeded to roll her eyes.

**throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."**

**Ron couldn't resist it. **

"**It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus." **

"**What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."**

Harry thought there was a loud humming sound in the air until he realized it was all the Weasley kids growling. Draco seemed to be looking oblivious but Harry could see him slightly flinching because of the Weasley's or his mother's glare he didn't know.

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow. **

"**Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.**

The twins snorted. "When aren't they arguing,"

The few people that knew about Potter and Malfoy's "relationship" snorted.

**Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly. **

"**Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?" **

"**A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. **

Harry had to fight down a grin as he remembered Malfoy's expression. It was priceless.

**"And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.**

Sirius smirked.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. **

"**Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…" **

"Oh, you never know. Someone during flying lessons would have noticed that you were a natural eventually." said Lupin who smiled.

"**So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them.**

Hermione buried her face into Charlie's shoulder and everyone could hear a muffled groan.

Charlie was trying to hold back a grin and Ron was looking livid.

**Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand. **

"**I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry. **

"**Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good." **

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

"My nose _wasn't_ in the air," muttered Hermione embarrassed, her head still on Charlie's shoulder but was now just leaning against him comfortably.

Charlie was rather hesitant but then put an arm around her shoulders making Hermione blush but smiling.

Harry couldn't help but notice how _complete_ Charlie and Hermione looked together. But he also couldn't stop himself from looking at Ron's expression which was looking furious.

The twins were fighting grins as they put the pieces together between the love triangle.

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night.**

**He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last. **

"**Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.**

**Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. **

There seemed to be a glazed look in everyone's eye. Lupin had to shove Sirius because he noticed that he was slightly drooling.

Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't help but giggle when she noticed Charlie's expression was dazed and dreamy as the rest of them.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.**

There were a few rustling of pages as a few people had to manually look up the Muggle word.

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.**

A few people sighed at the description of the broomstick.

**Hey, Potter, come down!" **

**Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him. **

"**Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting.**

"Oh, no," groaned the twins grinning.

Harry couldn't help laugh. "When Wood's eyes are _glinting_ that's when he's most dangerous," explained Harry.

"Wood is a lot like James," muttered Sirius shivering as he remembered the long practices that James forced them to do whenever he got the "glint" in his eye.

**"I see what McGonagall meant…you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."**

"Those were the days when we only had practice three times a week," sighed the twins longingly.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls. **

"**Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers." **

"**Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball. **

"**This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?" **

Hermione was paying attention to every word thinking that maybe Wood's explanation would make better sense about Quidditch than the books she read in the library.

"**The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

There were a few more rustling of pages. Arthur was beaming in delight wanting to play this strange game called Basket Ball.

"**What's basketball?" said Wood curiously. **

"**Never mind," said Harry quickly. **

"**Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper **

"Wood, the best keeper we've ever had," said the twins.

Ron tried not to grimace. He _had_ been thinking about trying for Keeper this year…

— **I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring." **

"**Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box. **

"**I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." **

**He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat. **

"Please bloody tell me nothing bad happens in this chapter," groaned Sirius jokingly.

Harry didn't respond making Sirius and Lupin's eyes narrow in suspicion.

**I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers." **

**He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box. **

"He's having you deal with a Bludger all by yourself!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley worriedly.

"He'll be fine, Molly," whispered Mr. Weasley.

"**Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers. **

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air **

"Not bad," said Fred.

"You wouldn't make a bad reserve," said George.

They were both beaming at Harry. Ron wished his brothers showed him that much support and encouragement, but _no. _It was Harry this, and Harry that.

**it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground. **

"**See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team **

— **the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?" **

"**Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off. **

Hermione was nodding to herself as she tried to remember.

"I know Wood's talks by heart, so don't worry too much," whispered Charlie to Hermione before he winked. Hermione smiled relieved.

"**Very good," said Wood. **

"**Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand. **

"**Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers —" **

"— **unless they crack my head open." **

"Or break my arm," Harry muttered.

"**Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."**

The twins puffed out their chests proudly making many laugh.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

Harry and Charlie smiled.

"_**This**_**," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win.**

"Not at the Bulgaria and Ireland game!" said the twins who glowered at the thought about getting cheated out of their winnings, but grinned at Harry who gave them his tri-wizard winnings. Harry caught on and smiled back.

**That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.**

"I wish I could have gone to that game," said Charlie and Sirius dreamily.

"**Well, that's it any questions?" **

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right; **

**it was doing it that was going to be the problem. **

The twins snorted. "As long as there are no Dementors you're brilliant!"

"I can actually handle them now," said Harry as he nodded to his past Professor.

Lupin couldn't help but look proud.

"Speaking of Dementors," said Sirius. "What about your trial, Harry?"

Harry paled. He had forgotten about that.

"Time is stopped so there will be no rush. Besides, we can read about the results soon," said Mr. Weasley nodding his head at the fifth book that was on the floor along with the others.

Harry nodded relieved.

**We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these." **

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch. Harry didn't miss a single one, **

"Brilliant!" said Charlie grinning.

**and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on. **

"**That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons." **

"There will definitely be a match to prove that," said Charlie before he winked at Harry.

"I would've liked if you played Quidditch instead, dear," said Mrs. Weasley wistfully.

Charlie shook his head. The thought of leaving his dragons was impossible to wrap his head around.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. **

**The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. **

**His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors.**

**Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.**

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). **

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. **

"I was," they both said before grinning at each other.

Charlie wasn't too worried with their comrade with Hermione safely in his arms.

**She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived. **

"**Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

"I thought that was a myth," said Sirius.

A few people stared at him.

Lupin laughed. "I guess, he does have his moments,"

Sirius glared at his friend as he finally caught on to why everyone looked shocked.

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

"I knew those hats were useful for something," said Bill grinning.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck. **

"_**Wingardium Leviosa!**_**" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. **

"**You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-**_**gar**_**-dium Levi-**_**o**_**-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

"You would make a good teacher," muttered Charlie fondly.

Hermione blushed. She _had_ been considering being a teacher or a healer.

"**You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "**_**Wingardium Leviosa!**_**" **

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. **

"**Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" **

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. **

"Harry didn't help that mood when he was eves dropping and managed to perform the charm soon after I did," said Hermione before she winked at her best friend.

Harry was looking sheepish.

"**It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly." **

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears. **

Charlie was fighting a growl towards his brother.

"RON!" yelled Mrs. Weasley as she narrowed her eyes.

Ron looked away. Hermione was slightly put out that he didn't even apologize.

"**I think she heard you." **

"**So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends." **

Hermione fought back the tears. It was true that she didn't have any friends in the beginning of her first year at Hogwarts and even at her Muggle elementary school. She was thankful that she had Harry who would always be there. She wasn't so sure about Ron, but four years of friendship she had a little more tolerance and forgiveness in her yet.

Charlie squeezed Hermione tighter and she gave him a grateful smile.

Harry could faintly hear Mrs. Weasley muttering about her son's lack of tact.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

Harry winced.

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter.**

Sirius sighed. "I love Halloween at Hogwarts and the pranks."

"What pranks?" asked Harry quickly, wanting to avoid the troll in the bathroom scene as long as possible.

"Oh, you know," said Sirius with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Mice in the pie, scaring Lily, jumping out at people, stalking Lily, stealing Remus' precious chocolate and turning them into something else… did I mention stalking Lily?" ended Sirius as he gave out a barking laugh.

Lupin was narrowing his eyes at Sirius while everyone else started laughing. Lupin did not appreciate that Halloween joke on his chocolate. Tonks was almost to the point of snorting while she laughed at the expression on Remus' face.

"So, stalking mum was on my dad's to-do-list?" asked Harry amused. He wouldn't admit that he was a little confused and worried why his mum and dad didn't get along…

"Your mum and dad didn't start going out until seventh year – " explained Sirius.

"Can we continue?" asked Snape impatiently.

Kingsley continued reading:

**The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet. **

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.**

A few people leaned forward.

Lupin narrowed his eyes in suspicion that Harry had been prolonging this part of the chapter.

**Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

"What!" squeaked Mrs. Weasley in horror.

Sirius and Lupin exchanged worried looks.

Everyone else was waiting in anticipation.

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

"Faker," muttered Hermione.

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

"**Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" **

**Percy was in his element. **

"Of course." muttered almost everyone making said Weasley try not to blush.

"**Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

"**How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs. **

"**Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke." **

"I don't think Peeves would go to the that extreme," said Bill thoughtfully.

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm. **

"**I've just thought — Hermione." **

Hermione smiled gratefully towards Harry.

Charlie looked down at the girl in his arms hoping she would be alright.

"**What about her?"**

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"**She doesn't know about the troll." **

**Ron bit his lip. **

"**Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us." **

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them. **

"**Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin. **

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. **

Snape tried not to glower or groan. That bloody boy saw everything.

**What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?" **

"**Search me." **

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. **

"**He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand. **

Almost everyone who didn't know what happened were narrowing their eyes at the Potions Professor in suspicion.

Mad-Eye was studying the supposedly "ex" Death Eater with both eyes.

"**Can you smell something?" **

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. **

A few people scrunched up their noses at the description.

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

The trio grimaced as they remembered the troll.

Sirius was looking slightly panicky and Mrs. Weasley was looking between the trio hoping none of them got hurt.

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room. **

"**The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in." **

"So it was your idea, Harry?" asked Hermione as she mockingly glared at Harry.

Harry could only smile sheepishly as he put a hand through his hair.

"Sorry."

**Good idea," said Ron nervously. **

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it. **

"_**Yes!**_**" **

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream —**

Charlie was paling. They had locked the troll in the girl's bathroom! He was holding onto Hermione tighter who didn't mind.

**and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up. **

"**Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron. **

"Is that even possible?" asked Tonks.

No one answered her as they waited worriedly for the event to unfold.

"**It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped. **

"_**Hermione!**_**" they said together. **

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside. **

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. **

Bill was looking at Charlie worriedly and with amusement as he saw how freaked out his brother was.

**The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. **

"**Confuse it!" Harry said **

"Good, good," muttered Mad-Eye his eyes intent on the book now.

The adults nodded their heads in approval.

**desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

Sirius was paling and looking at Harry in alarm.

"**Oi, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead,**

Mrs. Weasley moaned in her husband's chest as dread filled her. Mr. Weasley soothed his wife as best as he could. He wasn't worried too much knowing his son was fine and in front of them.

**giving Harry time to run around it.**

"**Come on, run, **_**run**_**!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

"Not the time to freeze," groaned Tonks.

Hermione looked sheepish.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

The Weasley's were looking at Ron worried, even Percy, much to Ron's pleasure. Charlie was worried, but he couldn't help but be worried for Hermione more…

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:**

Almost everyone groaned.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"Ew – "

Sirius was trying to hide another groan.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

Sirius and Lupin were on the edge of their seats.

Harry felt like his arms were stiff and being stretched. He shook them lightly wondering what was happening.

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "**_**Wingardium Leviosa!**_**"**

A few people groaned. Ron was looking peeved that that many people didn't have faith in him.

**The club suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

The twins eyes widened and they gave Ron impressed looks.

A few people were also looking at Ron in disbelief including a frightened mother.

Ron was soaking in the attention, knowing that it was far between when it happened.

**Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath.**

Harry was feeling adrenaline going through him and had no idea why. He clenched his hands into fists not understanding why they were shaking.

Ginny was looking at Harry confused.

**Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. **

**It was Hermione who spoke first. **

"**Is it — dead?" **

"**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out." **

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue. **

"**Urgh — troll boogers." **

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers. **

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

Hermione rolled her eyes before she gave a short squeak when she remembered she lied to get everyone out of trouble.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. **

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind. **

Tonks rolled her eyes. "You're not seriously going to punish them for defeating a mountain troll, are you Professor?"

Minerva didn't comment.

"**What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" **

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down. **

The twins snickered.

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows. **

"**Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me." **

"**Miss Granger!" **

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last. **

"**I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them." **

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

Everyone turned to stare at the brightest witch of their age who was burying her face in Charlie's shoulder.

Sirius on the other hand scoffed. "You can't get away with telling Minnie a lie. It's impossible."

McGonagall was looking rather shocked. Miss Granger was lying?

"**If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."**

**Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them. **

"**Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" **

Sirius was gaping and his eyes flicked back and forth between Hermione and Minnie.

"You actually believed her?" asked Sirius shocked.

"She was certainly believable," muttered Minerva.

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

"Cheers!" yelled the twins as a bag of sweets manifested into their laps.

Everyone laughed.

Snape was lost in thought that he didn't bother to glare at the Weasley twins. Snape knew that Granger was lying but he thought that Potter had gone to fight the troll to be a show off and boast about it.

"**Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," **

**said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." **

**Hermione left. **

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron. **

"**Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." **

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else. **

"**We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled. **

"**Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's." **

"**Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we **_**did **_**save her." **

"**She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him. **

Charlie was starting to relax and loosen his grip on Hermione now that she was safe.

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. **

"**Pig snout," they said and entered. **

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

"_That's_ how you became friends?" asked Bill before he rolled his eyes and chuckled along with a few other people.

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"That's the end of the chapter." said Kingsley.

There was a sudden _crack_ and Sirius and Lupin were now sitting on a three-person couch.

"Oh, good!" said Sirius cheerfully. "Harry, I would like you to sit by Remus and me. I have a feeling these books are going to do hell on my nerves."

Mrs. Weasley started muttering about language and Harry couldn't help but chuckle at how Sirius was looking serious. Harry got up and sat down between Remus and Sirius. Sirius put an arm automatically around Harry's shoulder.

"Who would like to read next?" asked Kingsley.

"I will," piped up Tonks.

Before Kingsley could pass the book to Tonks a foggy haze appeared in the middle of the room. Everyone jumped to their feet and Charlie instinctively put Hermione behind him.

A man appeared in the room and he had a broad grin across his face. To the shock of many people he had bright turquoise hair and brown eyes that seemed familiar to Tonks.

"Who are you?" growled Mad-Eye.

The grin didn't falter from the young man's face making many people raise their eyebrows.

He started walking towards Harry. Sirius and Lupin couldn't help but move closer to Harry protectively.

The stranger's eyes glanced at Sirius and Lupin sadly before the grin reappeared on his face and he stretched his hand out to Harry.

"Hey, Harry. I'm Ted Lupin, your future God-Son."


	12. Chapter 12: Quidditch

"Hey, Harry. I'm Ted Lupin, your God-Son." said the stranger with the broad grin.

Harry gaped at the man. _His future God-son?_

Lupin was also open-mouthed. Was he a future relative? There's no way he would have kids, the risks were too high…

"The headmaster was right. You were a scrawny kid until sixth year," said Ted and winked, breaking the silence. He wasn't looking at Dumbledore, but at Professor McGonagall.

"Perhaps, you should explain a bit more," said Lupin wearily indicating to a chair that appeared next to Lupin's side of the couch.

Ted nodded but to Harry he seemed a bit sad, but his wide grin covered it up quite well.

He sat down completely relaxed and everyone did the same.

"Wotcher, Ted," said Tonks grinning and winked at the young man.

He smiled, but still seemed sad…

Harry gasped as he put the pieces together. Turquoise hair, brown eyes, a little over average height... Everyone turned to Harry who looked away.

"Ah, I heard you were quick learner," said Ted sadly.

"What happened?"

"The Battle of Hogwarts is what happened. I was a one year old when it happened, but I got pictures from what you showed me," said Ted, half smiling.

Harry smiled back, trying to get over the awkwardness and sadness that Lupin and Tonks possibly die quite soon, but couldn't quite manage it. Those deaths were probably his fault...

Everyone looked between them confused.

"I won't tell what Harry has assumed, but I can tell you who my parents are, which happen to be in this room." said Ted cheerfully.

Everyone stared.

"My full name is Teddy Remus Lupin," said Ted before he winked at Lupin.

Lupin was gaping at his future son. Sirius let out a barking laugh before he clapped Remus on the back. "Congrats, Mooney, who was the lucky lady?" said Sirius before he winked. Remus flushed.

Ted suddenly changed his hair color to bubble gum pink to match Tonks' hair and back to his famous turquoise before he winked.

"I took after mum, not you," said Ted giving Lupin a piercing look.

Lupin and Tonks looked at each other and flushed. They _had_ been dating off and on, but he was always the first one to end it.

Sirius was laughing and a few people chuckled at the odd match.

Ted suddenly leaned into Lupin. "She doesn't care about your "furry little problem" dad so you might as well stop ending it, eh?" whispered Ted into Lupin's ear.

Lupin looked baffled and surprised. She really doesn't care?

Ted nodded in satisfaction before he turned to Tonks. "Hey mum!"

Tonks thought she was quite too young to be a mother, but couldn't stop the wide grin that matched Ted's to spread across her face before she got up and gave him a hug.

Ted's eyes momentarily went glassy before he blinked it away and grinned back after Tonks let him go. Ted's chair turned into a two-person couch and Tonks happily went to sit down next to her future son.

"Did you say there was a Battle of Hogwarts, my dear boy?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

Ted's grin slipped slightly before he sighed. "Yes, it was during Harry's seventh year. Many lives were lost and Voldemort –"

A few people flinched, but were surprised that Ted said it so casually.

"Was in the battle."

A few people gasped.

"Is he finally gone?" whispered Harry.

Ted put on a mask that wouldn't show his emotions. "That would ruin the books, right?"

Harry tried not to look irritated. Here was someone, _his God-son_, from the future who knew everything that happened and he won't share any it.

Ted suddenly looked at Hermione and Charlie who were close together and nodded to himself.

"That explains a lot," he muttered. Tonks and Lupin looked at him confused but he shook his head.

"So, I'm technically not from the year that Harry, Hermione, and Ron made the books. But they used a Time Turner and explained what they've done. And that's why I'm here!" said Ted happily.

"Can we continue reading?" asked Snape annoyed.

Ted looked at him and grinned. "You're just like what Harry described you as, Snape."

A few people laughed at the expression on Snape's face and Harry's sheepish expression.

"Harry named his youngest son Albus Severus Potter," said Ted casually.

Almost everyone's mouths opened in shock. Snape was the most baffled at this.

"That's quite an honor, Harry," said Dumbledore who was smiling and his eyes were twinkling but looking at Ted.

"What did the poor kid ever to do you?" asked the twins in mock horror.

A few more people laughed and Ted grinned. "I guess I can tell you who your kids are, Harry, but I won't give away who your wife is," said Ted before he winked at a blushing and shocked Harry.

Ginny was disappointed.

"You're eldest and the biggest prankster I know is James Sirius Potter." said Ted smirking.

Professor McGonagall was looking horrified. A child named after the two top pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen is coming here….

Sirius grinned. "Thanks Harry!"

Harry's face was bright red. The mere thought of having kids right now was impossible to accept.

"Your youngest daughter is Lily Luna Potter." continued Ted.

Everyone glanced at Luna surprised.

"That's awfully nice of you, Harry," said Luna dreamily.

Harry was in too much shock to talk.

"And your wife has just founded out a week ago you're having another child. She's ecstatic!"

"Wow, four kids, Harry!" said Bill. "Congrats!"

"Oh, Bill, did I mention I'm dating your daughter?" asked Ted casually.

Everyone laughed at the priceless expression on Bill's face.

"W – What?" stuttered Bill in shock as Charlie grinned and got up to clap his older brother on the back. The attention, thankfully, taken off Harry.

"Yup, going to propose in a year or two after she graduates from Hogwarts," said Ted proudly and confident.

Bill continued to splutter, no coherent words forming as everyone laughed to the point of tears. The twins were rolling on the floor.

Mrs. Weasley was beaming and grinning that she was going to be getting Gran kids.

After the laughter died down, Tonks started flipping to the right chapter noticing Mad-Eye and Snape were getting twitchy.

"Let's continue to read, eh?" asked Tonks cheerfully. "We can do some more catching up during dinner."

Everyone nodded in agreement, their faces flushed from laughing.

"**Quidditch**," read Tonks before sticking her tongue out at a certain jealous cousin.

"Please let me read!" begged Sirius.

Lupin looked at Sirius in mock surprise. "I thought I would never hear the day when Sirius Orian Black wants to willingly read."

Everyone laughed in good spirits as Sirius glared and pouted at a certain werewolf.

"Maybe you should let Sirius read, Tonks. This could be a once in life time event," joked Lupin cheerfully.

Tonks grinned and both could suddenly see why they might have gotten married in the future. Tonks passed the book to Sirius slightly blushing.

Sirius cleared his throat dramatically making a few chuckle and began to read:

"**Quidditch**," he repeated.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver skin boots.**

**The Quidditch season had begun.**

The twins cheered,

**On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship. **

**Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, **

Almost everyone turned to look at the Weasley twins who were whistling innocently.

**and Harry didn't know which was worse — people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.**

"The latter, I think," said Hermione before she winked at Harry who was looking sheepish.

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her,**

"Knew you kept me around for some reason," joked Hermione making Harry grin.

**what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also lent him **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"How can _any_ book be interesting?" asked a horrified Sirius.

Harry looked pointedly at the one in his hands making many laugh.

**Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; **

**that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; **

"True." chimed the twins and Charlie.

**that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll,**

"Ah, you defeated the troll already," said a grinning Ted. "Wish I could have read about it. It takes a while for me to time travel backwards. Two days isn't bad."

"How long are you staying?" asked Lupin suddenly.

Ted seemed to consider his answer. "I _think_ I should be able to stay through the readings of all seven books unless I'm needed."

Tonks and Lupin smiled relieved.

**and she was much nicer for it. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.**

"Impressive, Miss Granger," said Snape impassively and ignored all the staring he was getting. It almost killed him to be _nice._

Dumbledore was looking amused that Severus was making an effort.

Hermione could only stutter thanks, never being complimented by the Potions Professor before.

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping.**

"Too bloody observant," muttered Snape.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed.**

**Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

"As always," mumbled Ron. He had been thinking about why Harry's future God-son had stared at Hermione and Charlie curiously.

"**What's that you've got there, Potter?" **

**It was **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**. Harry showed him. **

"**Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." **

"You made that up," growled Sirius.

"**He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" **

"**Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly. **

Mrs. Weasley gave her son a disapproving look, but he remained stubborn and looked away.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

"That's better than what you did, Remus," said Sirius, grinning cheekily.

Lupin merely glared and tried not to look sheepish.

**Harry felt restless. He wanted **_**Quidditch Through the Ages **_**back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape?**

"I can think of a few!" chorused the twins.

**Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

A few people stared at Harry bewildered.

"No wonder you're in Gryffindor, Harry," said Tonks who shivered. "I would never have the guts to do that."

Many nodded in agreement. Snape rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but feel smug.

"**Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

**He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. **

**Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes. Snape and Filch were inside, alone. **

Sirius had a mischievous glint in his eye. The twins were grinning, realizing what Sirius was doing.

"We knew this day would come," said the twins.

Everyone looked at them confused.

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees.**

The twins gasped in horror and turned wide-eyed to Snape. Everyone was trying to hold in their laughter, and turning red in the process.

"If you have something to tell us, Professor, just come out and say it," said Fred somberly.

"We promise not to judge or act differently," added George just as serious.

"But you could have done better!" they chorused.

No one could hold in their laughter any longer. Snape was glowering at the twins with so much distaste; Harry was surprised they didn't catch on fire. Sirius was grinning ear to ear; feeling accomplished and started to read again after the laughter died down.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages. **"**Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

"I think that's the point," said Hermione.

Everyone chuckled lightly. A few people were looking at Snape with suspicion.

**Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but — **

"**POTTER!"**

The teen's eyes' widened in horror.

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped. **

"**I just wondered if I could have my book back." **

"**GET OUT! **_**OUT! **_**" **

**Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. **

"Smart," chorused a few people.

**He sprinted back upstairs. **

"**Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?" **

**In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen. **

"**You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick **_**he **_**let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

"Er – sorry, Professor," muttered Harry. Snape hid his shock and merely nodded.

"You're only saying that, Harry, because you had bet your broomstick," said Ginny giggling.

Harry looked sheepish and Ted was trying to hide a grin.

**Hermione's eyes were wide. **

"**No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe." **

"**Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"**

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind — he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

"You poor thing, Harry, dear," said the twins sympathetically making a few more people laugh.

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match. **

"**You've got to eat some breakfast." **

"**I don't want anything." **

"**Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione. **

"**I'm not hungry." **

"James was usually too excited for Quidditch that he forgot to eat," said Lupin smiling fondly.

**Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field. **

"**Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team." **

A few people snorted.

"**Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes. **

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said **_**Potter for President**_**, and Dean, who was good at drawing,** **had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.**

Harry smiled. It _really _did help his nerves.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green). **

**Wood cleared his throat for silence. **

The twins and Harry looked at each other and couldn't help but grin.

"Okay, men," said Harry.

"And, woman," reminded George.

"And woman," continued Harry. "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," said Fred.

"Shut up you too." said Harry. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

The twins and Harry burst out laughing. Everyone looked amused and Sirius was laughing as he read ahead.

"**Okay, men," he said. **

"**And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson. **

"**And women," Wood agreed. "This is it." **

"**The big one," said Fred Weasley. **

"**The one we've all been waiting for," said George. **

"**We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year." **

"**Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." **

Everyone laughed. "Oliver took a bit of my speech, eh?" asked Charlie highly amused.

"And I recognize some of James' speech in there too," said Sirius who couldn't stop laughing.

Sirius continued to read after the laughing went down. Sirius was feeling excited that he was going to read Harry's first Quidditch match.

**He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**

"**Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." **

**Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers. **

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. **

"**Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said,**

Almost everyone snorted. "This is against Slytherin, isn't it?" asked Tonks who laughed and shook her head at the impossibility of this being a fair game.

**once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.**

Malfoy grudgingly agreed with that description.

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.**

"**Mount your brooms, please." **

**Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. **

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. **

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. **

"**And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —" **

A few people started laughing.

"LEE!" yelled the twins with glee.

"**JORDAN!" **

"**Sorry, Professor." **

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

"I still say that Remus was worse," said Minerva sending a stern look at the blushing werewolf.

A few people stared bewildered.

Sirius was laughing. "Nearly made James crash his broom with all the laughing he was doing during the matches."

Ted was grinning.

"**And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there **- **he's going to sc — no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger**

Almost everyone winced.

**Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which**

"It's sad that Harry can tell us apart," said George.

"But our best friend can't." continued Fred.

— **nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" **

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, **(and the Hall) **with howls and moans from the Slytherins. **

"**Budge up there, move along." **

"**Hagrid!" **

"Interesting that it's changing point of view," commented Kingsley.

Harry was now rather curious to see what had happened when he was playing.

Hermione groaned. Snape was going to find out what she did…

**Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them. **

"**Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. **

A few people nodded in agreement.

**No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?" **

"**Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet." **

"**Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, **

"That's a first," said Hermione grinning.

**raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry. **

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan. **

"**Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be." **

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings.**

"Those were cool," said Ron hesitantly. It _had_ been brilliant to see Harry doing controlled loops and swirls on his broom.

**Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches,**

Charlie and Sirius groaned.

"Never wear those to games," said Sirius disapproving. "James would have had your heads."

"Didn't I teach you both anything?" asked Charlie, shaking his head sadly.

The twins looked slightly ashamed. Most of the women in the room rolled their eyes.

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it. **

"**All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint. **

"**Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"**

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.**

"CONSTANT VIGILIANCE!" bellowed Mad-Eye making many jump.

**Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

All Quidditch fanatics shook their heads in disapproval.

**Harry was faster than Higgs — he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed — **

**WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life. **

A few people started muttering and Tonks was mumbling "I _told_ you so."

Harry felt like his arms were being stretched again like it had with the troll. He shook them once hard.

"**Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. **

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again. **

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!" **

"**What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron. **

"**Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!" **

"**But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him. **

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side. **

"**They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air." **

Almost everyone nodded in agreement.

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. **

"**So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —" **

"**Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall. **

"**I mean, after that open and revolting foul…" **

Nearly everyone was laughing.

"I rather like this Lee kid," said Sirius grinning as he tried to shake the nerve of Harry almost being thrown off his broom.

"_**Jordan, I'm warning you**_—**"**

"**All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure,**

A few more people started laughing.

**so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." **

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. **

All smiles and grins that were on people's faces vanished and people leaned forward.

**His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch.**

Harry felt his stomach churning.

**For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off.**

A few people were looking worried and frightened. Sirius started reading faster wanting to know more.

**Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.**

Harry inconspicuously grabbed his stomach, the churning getting worse.

**Lee was still commentating.**

"No one has noticed yet?" fretted Mrs. Weasley.

**Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…" **

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went. **

"Oh, no. Oh, no," chanted Mrs. Weasley as Arthur tried to calm his wife down.

"**Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom…but he can't have…" **

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. **

**His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on.**

Harry grabbed his stomach tighter, feeling slightly sick.

**Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

Gasps were heard around the room.

The feeling in Harry's stomach vanished and now he felt his right arm being stretched and pulled to the limit.

"**Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered. **

"**Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand." **

Mad-Eye was staring intently at the book.

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd. **

"**What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced. **

"**I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look." **

Sirius paused and took the time to glare at Snape along with many others.

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

"**He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

"Or a counter-curse," muttered Snape.

"**What should we do?" **

"**Leave it to me." **

Snape's eyes widened as he faintly remembered what had happened. He slowly turned to face the young witch. Hermione gave a frightened squeak and tried to hide her face in Charlie's shoulder.

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. **

**His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer.**

Harry's hand was starting to shake.

**The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms,**

Mrs. Weasley nodded her head in approval and gave grateful glances towards the twins for trying to help.

**but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.**

"Imagine if we missed," said Fred snickering.

"Yeah, the Wizarding world would be in peril and we probably wouldn't be alive today." said George also snickering.

"Ah, but this is Harry Potter were talking about," said Ginny laughing trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

Harry tried to hide a smile from Ginny while he shook his head.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

A few people groaned.

"**Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. **

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. **

The trio nodded in understanding and Hermione let out another squeak that was highly strange to hear from her as she glanced at her Potions Professor.

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.**

Everyone stared at the hiding witch stunned. Sirius was laughing loudly.

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire.**

A few people snorted and Hermione received a nod of approval from Mad-Eye that the girl managed to catch off guard an "ex" Death Eater.

**A sudden yelp**

"You heard Snape yelp?" said the twins in wonder as they started looking at Hermione in a new light.

**told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened.**

"I do now," muttered Snape to himself in disbelief that a first year had surprised him like that at the same time that Ginny said loudly. "He does now!"

Everyone started chuckling.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom. **

"**Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes. **

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick**

A few people gasped.

Harry was feeling ill again and was trying to breathe deeply. He felt like he was choking on some food. Harry tried to cough as casually as he could.

Ginny was looking confused and anxious at Harry who shook his head at her, blurry eyed, to indicate that he was fine.

— **he hit the field on all fours — coughed — **

**and something gold fell into his hand. **

A few people gaped.

"**I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

Charlie looked at Harry awed and bewildered.

"Bloody brilliant!" yelled Charlie.

"**He didn't **_**catch **_**it, he nearly **_**swallowed **_**it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.**

"We were wondering where you were after a unique catch like that," said the twins.

"**It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." **

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. **

"**I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." **

A few people snorted.

"Smooth and casual," said Tonks grinning.

**Hagrid dropped the teapot. **

"**How do you know about Fluffy?" he said. **

Some people laughed as the rest looked at the book with incredulity.

"The cuter the name, the more dangerous," repeated Hermione laughing fondly of her friend.

"_**Fluffy**_**?"**

"**Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year**

Harry raised his eyebrows not remembering this comment. _Voldemort met Hagrid last year?_ _That meant he had a whole year to prepare…_

— **I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —" **

"**Yes?" said Harry eagerly. **

"**Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is." **

"**But Snape's trying to **_**steal **_**it." **

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort." **

"**So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. **

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape. **

Hermione was looking sheepish.

"**I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"**

Hermione blushed. She hadn't even considered that Snape had been doing a counter-curse.

"**I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"**

All the adults groaned and Minerva was muttering under her breath.

Lupin was starting to pale. So it _is_ the Sorcerer's Stone. This book can't end well.

Sirius knew Flamel was someone famous, but he couldn't place why. He decided to shake away the bad feelings and keep reading.

"**Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" **

**Hagrid looked furious with himself. **

"That's the end of the chapter," said Sirius amused and passed the book to Tonks.

"I read after mum!" said Ted as he winked at said person.

Tonks was grinning happily. "**The Mirror of Erised**,"


	13. Chapter 13: The Mirror of Erisad

**The Mirror of Erised**,"

Harry blanched at the chapter title and Dumbledore was looking sad. Ron was glancing at Harry nervously until he realized with a start that everyone will hear what he saw in the mirror also.

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.**

Hermione suddenly started laughing hysterically and Harry started laughing with her after figuring out what was funny.

Everyone was looking at the two like they had suddenly said Snape was like a cuddly teddy bear…except for Teddy who started laughing with the other two.

"We'll explain after the book is over," said Teddy chuckling. "But you'll figure it out in the end."

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.**

**No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

Minerva rolled her eyes. "You could have made it warmer, Severus,"

Snape didn't comment.

"**I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."**

Harry wasn't that insulted now as people glared at the pale boy. That was one of the best Christmas's he's had.

"Oh," said Teddy remembering his promise at the reminder of Malfoy. "First off, future Harry wanted me to say "hello" to everyone and also wanted to say something to you, Cissy," He turned to look at Narcissa grinning much to the shock of everyone in the room. "Harry wanted me to say _thank you_."

Everyone looked taken aback.

"Your future self has gone mental, Harry," said the twins, Ginny, and Sirius.

"Nah, Cissy isn't that bad of a person. She makes good tea and apple pie." said Teddy before he winked at the baffled woman.

"Harry also wanted me to say to _you_ Snape," continued Teddy looking at a surprised Snape. "That you are the bravest person he's ever met and wanted to thank you for everything you've done."

Everyone stared at Teddy in shock. Snape blanched in bewilderment.

"Everyone in the future has gone mental," muttered many in the room.

Dumbledore was trying to hide a smile.

**He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next.**

A few glares and exasperated looks were directed toward the Slytherin boy.

**Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. **

**It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once.**

"I should have known he was too eager to sign up," muttered Minerva to herself.

**He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had.**

Sirius was looking sadly at Harry and squeezed his God-son's shoulder.

**Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.**

Charlie grinned remembering how much mum freaked out when his favorite baby Horntail caught his hair on fire.

Mrs. Weasley noticed Charlie chuckling and knew why. She scowled.

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it. **

"**Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches. **

"**Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron." **

"**Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them.**

"My voice doesn't _drawl,_" drawled Malfoy. Everyone just game him pointed looks.

**"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to." **

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs. **

"Of course," muttered Sirius.

"**WEASLEY!" **

**Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes. **

"**He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family." **

"**Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you." **

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking. **

"**I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —" **

"**I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape." **

Harry was looking sheepish.

"**Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat." **

**So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations. **

"**Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?" **

**The hall looked spectacular. **

**Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. **

Nearly everyone smiled at the description.

"**How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked. **

"**Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library." **

"**Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron,**

The twins gaped at Ron before turning to Hermione.

"You've corrupted our sweet, innocent brother!" accused the twins.

A few people laughed.

**tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree. **

"**The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?" **

"**Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is." **

Almost everyone snorted.

McGonagall started muttering about nosy children.

"**You **_**what**_**?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'." **

"**We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione. **

"**Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."**

Hermione and Ron glared at Harry for different reasons. Harry gave a sheepish smile.

Hermione was glaring because they could have figured out everything so much quicker. She had had the book in her room the whole time…

Ron was annoyed because they wasted hours in the library for nothing.

"**I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly.**

"**Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library. **

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in **_**Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century**_**, or **_**Notable Magical Names of Our Time**_**; he was missing, too, from **_**Important Modern Magical Discoveries**_**, and **_**A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry**_**. **

"I had taken a few books from the library in case there were a few curious students," explained Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling.

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.**

Hermione, Lupin, and Charlie smiled.

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one.**

"I've never been in there," said the twins wistfully.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks.

**These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts. **

"**What are you looking for, boy?" **

"**Nothing," said Harry. **

A few people groaned.

"Wrong answer, Harry," said Lupin amused.

"We need to teach you to lie better," said Sirius thoughtfully.

Mrs. Weasley started muttering that Sirius needs to work on his parenting skills.

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.**

"The horror!" yelled the twins and then pretended to faint in their armchairs.

"**You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!" **

**Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to. **

**Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for a fortnight, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.**

**Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch. **

"**You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything." **

"I doubt Ron would willingly look in a library if he's a Weasley," said Bill amused. "During Christmas vacation no less."

"**And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them." **

"**Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione. **

"He's a myth in the Muggle world," said Sirius in a matter-of-fact tone.

Everyone turned to stare at him, even Teddy.

"I _did_ pay attention to Muggle Studies sometimes…"

"Why did you take Muggle Studies?" asked Harry curiously.

Sirius grinned. "One, because James was taking it because Lily was taking it,"

Lupin and Sirius snorted.

"And lastly because I wanted to piss off my lovely mother," concluded Sirius.

A few people chuckled. Mrs. Weasley was getting irritated that Sirius kept swearing in front of the children.

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.**

Bill was grinning.

**They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.**

"And vice-versa," muttered Draco.

"James and I would do that too," whispered Sirius, jerking his head towards Snape.

**Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather.**

Ron and his parents flushed.

**However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

**Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. **

**He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send **_**him**_**, we can afford to lose **_**him**_**." **

A few people started snickering.

"That's because Seamus bought it retail," said Ron and snorted as if that was the most stupid thing anyone could have ever done.

**On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.**

A few people looked sad. Sirius and Lupin exchanged looks, still remembering that Harry was going to get spoiled this Christmas.

**When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed. **

"**Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe. **

"**You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!" **

"**What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's. **

"Really, Ronald?" said Hermione and she rolled her eyes.

Ron was getting mad and disappointed that Hermione was using his full name.

"Ron has no sense of tact," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

**Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was **_**To Harry, from Hagrid**_**. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl.**

A few people smiled sadly and made mental notes to thank Hagrid later.

**A second, very small parcel contained a note. **

_**We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia**_**. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece. **

"**That's friendly," said Harry. **

Everyone looked at Harry bewildered. Mr. Weasley was the only one looking intrigued.

"That's the best present they've ever given me," said Harry shrugging.

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence. **

"_**Weird!**_**" he said, 'What a shape! This is **_**money**_**?" **

"**You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. **

"Like father, like son," said Mrs. Weasley and shook her head fondly of her husband's obsession with Muggle items.

Mr. Weasley looked at Ron proudly who blushed.

"**Hagrid and my aunt and uncle — so who sent these?" **

"**I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater." **

"What's wrong with that?" demanded the other Weasley kids except for Percy.

"N – Nothing," muttered Ron who noticed the hurt look on his mother's face.

Harry smiled. "They're really great, Mrs. Weasley."

"Thank you, dear, you're too kind," said a blushing Molly.

Ron bit his tongue to stop him from yelling out at the interaction as jealousy boiled inside him.

**Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green**

"I knew you had Lily's eyes," said Mrs. Weasley and smiled sadly.

**and a large box of homemade fudge. **

"**Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's **_**always **_**maroon." **

"Oh, I didn't know you didn't want maroon, dear," said Mrs. Weasley embarrassed. "You should have said something,"

Ron was about to say what he would like, but stopped when the rest of Weasley's gave him swift glares.

"It's fine, mum," muttered Ron finally.

"**That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. **

**His next present also contained candy — a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione. **

**This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it. **

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped. **

So did people in the room.

Harry grinned fondly of his cloak and so did Sirius and Lupin as they remembered all the pranks they pulled with that cloak.

"You've owned an invisibility cloak all this time?" yelled the twins shocked.

Harry slowly nodded and the twins groaned.

"**I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavour Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and **_**really **_**valuable." **

"**What is it?" **

**Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material. **

"**It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is — try it on." **

**Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell. **

"**It **_**is! **_**Look down!" **

**Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely. **

Malfoy was slightly jealous and _had_ been coming up with a plan to nick it away somehow…

"**There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!" **

**Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words: **

_**Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you.**_

_**Use it well.**_

_**A Very Merry Christmas to you.**_

"You _had_ to give him the cloak, Albus?" asked Minerva exasperated.

Dumbledore merely chuckled.

**There was no signature. **

**Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak. **

"**I'd give **_**anything **_**for one of these," he said. "**_**Anything**_**. What's the matter?" **

"**Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father? **

"Definitely," said Lupin grinning. "I remember when he first showed it to us,"

"You said you would never mention that," growled Sirius and glared at the smirking man on the couch.

"What happened?" asked Harry quickly.

Sirius started muttering to himself and Lupin was grinning evilly.

"Well, James had just showed it to us in our room and after everyone tried it on James asked if anyone wanted to go pranking under the cloak. Wormtail and I declined and Sirius wasn't too keen since that meant skipping lunch. So, James put on the cloak and the door opened and closed. Sirius took three second to decide before he ran towards the door and crashed into James who was still in the room. They were in such an awkward position that they swore to each other they wouldn't mention it. Neither knew that I had a camera with me that I had bewitched to work on Hogwart's grounds."

The rather evil smirk on Lupin's face had gotten more pronounced. Harry realized that Lupin was showing his Marauder side for once.

Sirius was staring at Lupin in horror and everyone was laughing.

"Harry gave me the invisibility cloak when I started attending Hogwarts," said Teddy after everyone calmed down. "It was brilliant! Harry said to give it to his son, James, when he was worthy enough, which was Christmas his first year after telling everyone dramatically about every prank he did."

Everyone chuckled and Harry wanted to groan.

Sirius was laughing. "Can't wait to meet him,"

Ted kept the grin on his face with difficulty and nodded to his mother to keep reading.

**Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

The twins pouted.

"**Merry Christmas!" **

"**Hey, look — Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!" **

**Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G. **

"**Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family." **

"I was joking, mum," said Fred before his mother opened her mouth.

"**Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."**

Mrs. Weasley smiled fondly.

"**I hate maroon," Ron moaned half-heartedly as he pulled it over his head. **

"**You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge." **

"You switch sweaters," accused Ginny half-heartily.

"You may never know, baby sis," said George who winked.

Ginny stuck her tongue out.

"**What's all this noise?" **

**Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized. **

"**P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one." **

"**I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew. **

Everyone laughed. Mrs. Weasley was looking proudly at the twins that they cared so much about family and Christmas spirit.

"**And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family." **

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. **

Molly and Arthur tried not to look sad that they were mentioning Percy a lot.

Percy was shifting guiltily in his seat and shook his head to get rid of all the memories with his family.

**Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce –**

"We haven't eaten in ages!" moaned Sirius and Ron.

"We'll eat after this chapter," said Mrs. Weasley.

Everyone perked up at the thought of food soon.

**and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favours were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.**

**Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, **

A few people couldn't help but give the Headmaster incredulous looks as if the man had finally gone mad.

Dumbledore chuckled softly.

**and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.**

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

Now everyone turned to give the usually stern witch bewildered looks that McGonagall was even capable of _giggling._

Minerva cursed the boy for being too observant as she looked at an opposite wall impassively after receiving a bemused look from Albus.

**When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.**

"The poor mice!" chorused a few people sadly.

**Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds.**

Said people, even Ron, couldn't help but smile in remembrance of the famous snowball fight.

**Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. **

Ron tried not to look smug.

**He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.**

There were a few somber nods and Percy tried not to look peeved.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.**

Fred and George couldn't help but sigh, wishing that the power-hungry moron would stop acting like a git; for their parents' sake at least.

**It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it. **

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. **

**Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it. **

**His father's…this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. **_**Use it well**_**, the note had said. **

**He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling. **

"I'll say," muttered Sirius, Lupin, Ron, and Hermione.

Harry was confused. It only felt completely natural to wear it after the first time. Why was that?

Dumbledore noticed Harry's confused expression making him turn thoughtful. Was it for the fact because Harry was the descendent from the Peverall brother, Ignotus, it made the cloak feel different to Harry than the others? He continued to dwell on this thought as he patiently waited for the reading to continue.

_**Use it well**_**. **

**Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. **

**The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know. **

Remus and Sirius couldn't help but exchange grins, remembering when James accidently ran into Filch, forgetting to add his name to the Marauders' Map when they first made it.

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back — his father's cloak — he felt that this time — the first time — he wanted to use it alone.**

Ron tried not to look too disappointed.

**He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole. **

"**Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor. **

**Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. **

"You used – "

"The bloody cloak – "

"For the first time – "

"To go into the library?!"

The twins promptly fainted after their little rant much to the amusement of the people in the room.

Bill got up exasperated to wake them up and motioned for Tonks to continue.

**He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked. **

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps. **

"You're saying – "

"Your floating arm – "

"Creeps you out –"

"Among all other things?!"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," muttered Bill as he tried to revive the fainting twins again, ignoring the chuckling in the room.

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles. **

**They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. **

A few people shivered.

**The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be. **

**He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open. **

Lupin groaned in frustration with Harry's luck much to the confusion of the room.

Harry's face flushed.

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming!**

"Of all the books in the Restricted Section you grab the screaming one," said Charlie and Hermione amused before they like looked at each other and grinned.

Ginny was a bit envious of the close couple wishing that Harry would realize she loved him.

Harry noticed Ginny's sad look and his stomach churned painfully not liking the look on her face and took her hand fleetingly to squeeze in comfort before letting go. Ginny looked at him surprised but smiled gratefully and hope swelled inside her like firecrackers.

Ron was the only one in the room who wasn't amused with the exchange of Charlie and Hermione.

"Oi, I'll tell Mum – " yelled Bill into the fainted twins' ears when suddenly Fred and George jumped up in horror as Bill smirked.

"Tell me what, Bill?" asked Mrs. Weasley in a dangerous tone. Mr. Weasley looked cautiously between the boys and his hot-tempered wife.

"Nothing to worry about Mum," said Bill smoothly before raising an eyebrow at the twins who were gulping.

Bill looked highly amused as he went back to his seat. He knew they were opening up a Joke shop and that mum would not be pleased. He also knew that Harry gave the twins his Tri-Wizard winnings. He worked at Gringotts after all.

Tonks thought it was good time to keep reading.

**Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, ear-splitting note. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.**

**He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armour. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. **

**Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armour near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there. **

"**You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section." **

**Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them." **

Sirius started to groan loudly at the mention of the slimy coward, but then remembered Dumbledore's speech making him stop abruptly.

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him — the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.**

Lupin was snickering at Sirius much to Teddy and Tonks' surprise; not seeing or hearing about this side of the werewolf often.

Sirius glowered at his best friend.

**He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in.**

Harry started breathing heavily. Only Ginny noticed who looked at him with concern.

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

Severus froze. He was the one who placed the mirror in that particular room. He remembered seeing Lily… he painfully and with force pushed the thoughts aside and glanced at Harry's pale complexion curiously. Were they going to found out what Harry saw?

"I need to leave." muttered Harry suddenly before jumping up and disappearing into the Meeting Room.

A few people were half way out of their seats. "Let him be," said Dumbledore sadly, looking pointedly at half the people in the room. "Miss Weasley can retrieve Harry after the chapter is finished, I think."

Sirius and Lupin exchanged worried looks but nodded and sat back down.

Bill was looking thoughtfully at Dumbledore that he said Harry's first name unlike the rest of the students that attended the school.

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: **_**Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi**_**.**

"I show not your face, but your heart's desire." said Lupin softly, understanding now why Harry had left.

**His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it. **

**He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. **

Everyone sat up straighter and looked at the book and the Meeting Room door worriedly.

**He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.**

**But the room was empty. **

**Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror. **

**There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not? **

Dumbledore sighed sadly remembering Harry's reaction with the encounter of the mirror. He knew it was wrong to not move the mirror, but it seemed unfair towards Harry not to allow him to see his family for the first time.

**He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air – she and the others existed only in the mirror.**

A few people were paling realizing what Harry was seeing in the mirror.

**She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes —**_**her eyes are just like mine**_**, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time.**

A few people were looking like they were in pain hearing the description of Lily Evans. Snape's face was tight as he tried desperately not to allow his emotions to show.

**The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.**

Sirius and Lupin looked at each other with grief.

**Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection. **

"**Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?" **

Almost everyone in the room was looking teary or bright-eyed as the confirmation of what Harry was seeing in the mirror was proven. Harry's hearts' desire was to see his parents.

Ginny gazed at the closed door of the Meeting Room before deciding that hearing the rest of the chapter wasn't as important as to see how Harry was. She slowly got up, ignoring the stares, and disappeared into the Meeting Room.

"Harry?" she asked timidly. She received no answer.

She walked further into the room and saw Harry sitting on the floor lost in thought. She couldn't help but notice that Harry looked _vulnerable._ Ginny walked up to him and simply sat next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Not talking, but to just comfort him how she always did.

Harry looked down at Ginny, thankful that she wasn't one to always bombard him with questions that she was here to comfort_ him_. Thankful that she was strong, wonderful, beautiful…

They sat in comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Tonks had tears silently going down her face from what she had to read and her Teddy wrapped a comforting arm around her, nodding that she should keep reading.

**They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees — Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.**

"T – That I – is s – so s – sad," stuttered Mrs. Weasley; tears pouring down her face. She was remembering how sweet Lily was, how lively James was; how unfair that Harry wasn't able to meet the sweetest couple she ever had the pleasure to talk to.

Mr. Weasley wrapped an arm around his Molly comforting, hiding his pain of the unfairness.

**The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.**

Lupin, Dumbledore, and Snape all sighed quietly, knowing the consequence and dangers of seeing the mirror.

**How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.**

"**You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

Only a few people could give half-hearted glares towards the red-head, still saddened of what they've heard.

"**You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror." **

"**I'd like to see your mum and dad," Ron said eagerly. **

"**And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone." **

"**You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people.**

"No tact at all," muttered Hermione, her words sounding bitter.

**Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"**

**Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

"Why wasn't the mirror placed somewhere more secret?" asked Minerva somberly.

Dumbledore had only sighed alerting McGonagall that Albus had put it there on purpose.

"**Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd." **

**What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour. **

"**I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back." **

"_**No!**_**" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere." **

**They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armour. **

"**It's here — just here — yes!" **

**They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror. **

**There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him. **

"**See?" Harry whispered. **

"**I can't see anything." **

"**Look! Look at them all…there are loads of them…" **

"**I can only see you." **

"**Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." **

**Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas. **

Ron abruptly got up and walked to the kitchen for a snack, not needing to see the reactions of his friends or family and wondered perhaps if anyone would pity him and comfort _him_.

Hermione looked worriedly at Ron's back, but stay seated. Charlie had seen the slight twitch on Ron's lips, knowing he was wanting attention. Bill had come to the same conclusion.

**Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image. **

"**Look at me!" he said. **

"**Can you see all your family standing around you?" **

"**No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!" **

"WHAT?!" yelled the twins in horror.

"_**What?**_**"**

"Great minds think alike," said the twins rather seriously.

"**I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too."**

Hermione couldn't help but looked bewildered.

"_That was Ron's deepest desire, to be Head Boy and Quidditch captain? " _Hermione thought wryly.

**Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry. **

"**Do you think this mirror shows the future?" **

"**How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look —" **

"**You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time." **

"**You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? ****I want to see my parents." **

"**Don't push me —" **

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking. **

A few people groaned under their breaths.

"**Quick!" **

**Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats? **

"I always wondered…" mused Sirius; thinking back to his Hogwarts days and being under the cloak.

**After what seemed an age, she turned and left. **

"**This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on." **

**And Ron pulled Harry out of the room. **

**The snow still hadn't melted the next morning. **

"**Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron. **

"**No." **

"**Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?" **

"**No…you go…" **

"**I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight." **

Snape felt slightly sorry for the Potter boy. He knew from experience how addicting the mirror could be and the side effects it caused to a person. He permitted himself a sharp look at Albus, suspicious that he had allowed Harry to see the mirror on purpose.

**"Why not?" **

"**I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?" **

"**You sound like Hermione." **

"**I'm serious, Harry, don't go." **

**But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.**

"Harry's got Lily's and James' stubbornness; there's no chance for persuasion." said Lupin wisely.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ron had snuck back into the reading room, triumphant that he got a few pitying looks, but disappointed that Hermione didn't even glance at him when he sat down next to her.

**That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone. **

**And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all. **

**Except — **

"**So — back again, Harry?" **

A few people raised their eyebrows.

**Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.**

Bill noted that even in Harry's first year he was directed by his first name from the Headmaster.

**Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him. **

"**I — I didn't see you, sir." **

"**Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling. **

A few of the adults hid their surprise that Harry was even getting scolded for being out past curfew.

"**So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, **"**you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised." **

"**I didn't know it was called that, Sir." **

"**But I expect you've realized by now what it does?" **

"**It — well — it shows me my family —" **

"**And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy." **

"**How did you know —?" **

"**I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. **

This made Lupin rather curious, memories from the past being brought up. James had complained long ago that Dumbledore wanted to borrow his cloak. Why would Albus need James' cloak when he didn't need it? He convinced himself with effort that the cloak would not have changed what happened at Godric's Hallow.

"**Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" **

**Harry shook his head. **

"**Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?" **

**Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want…whatever we want…" **

"**Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. **

Ron shifted in his seat, pointedly looking away from the bewildered looks from the rest of his family.

"**The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"**

Malfoy had been silent, not daring to say a word. He was a bit disappointed that Potter wasn't punished, but the grudged sympathy overrode it.

Snape was thinking along the same lines of his God-son.

**Harry stood up. **

"**Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?" **

"**Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however." **

There were a few quiet chuckles.

"**What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

Hermione couldn't help but looked amused about Harry's lack of sense to realize how personal the question was.

"**I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks." **

**Harry stared. **

So did most in the room.

"**One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

"I'll remember that, Albus," said Minerva amused.

Dumbledore merely nodded, his eyes twinkling.

**It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

Dumbledore quickly hid his despair, thinking of Arianna; his younger deceased sister.

The door the Meeting Room slowly opened; a pair of brown eyes peeking through the gap. Tonks had nodded to confirm the chapter was over.

Ginny dragged Harry out by the hand slowly as he looked away from all the sad and pitiful looks.

Harry turned to look at a wall blankly. "What's in the past, is in the past and cannot be changed," said Harry finally; his voice soft and firm.

Everyone stared at the black-haired teenager, the obvious maturity of his words shaking and surprising a few.

Harry suddenly looked at his Headmaster who didn't expect the boy to look directly at him and quickly stood up and walked carefully towards Harry.

Harry's eyes widened horrified as emotions that were not his own pulsed through him like venom. He backed away into a wall, taking his hand away from Ginny as if he got shocked.

Harry wanted to bite, to kill the old man that played with his emotions, with his life…

Harry was shaking with unexpected rage and Dumbledore cautiously stepped nearer and stopped a few feet from Harry.

Ginny gasped quietly. Fear sneaking into her as she swore she saw a glint of red in Harry's brilliant emerald eyes.

Everyone was on their feet, bewildered and scared; all seeing the red that had flashed through Harry's eyes.

Snape looked scared and stayed in his seat, allowing people to move in front of him. If the Dark Lord was within Harry, he couldn't risk being noticed.

Dumbledore held up a hand clearly saying not to come any further. Lupin was tugging Sirius back with his raw werewolf strength.

Ginny was the closest to Harry and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed to be begging with their eyes for Ginny to back away.

Ginny looked away and looked at Harry. He looked to be having an internal struggle, his body was shaking violently.

"Miss Weasley," said Dumbledore so quietly she wasn't sure she had heard it. "Help him,"

Ginny glanced at Dumbledore and then back to Harry. Dumbledore was looking at the floor instead of Harry. Wasn't that dangerous?

Ginny took a cautious step toward Harry. She heard a few intakes of breaths around the room. She took another step further. Harry seemed oblivious and the pain in his expression gave her strength to keep moving closer and closer to Harry until she stood next to his shaking form.

Harry was enraged. How dare he look away from him? How dare Dumbledore not look at him like a man? Harry wanted to pierce his teeth, to bite, into the man; to see the life flit through the old man's eyes, to see his body crumple…

Harry jumped as he felt a warm feeling in his right hand. He looked slowly away, enraged that someone disturbed his thoughts, but his resolve for killing crumbled as he stared into soft brown eyes. He couldn't look away; they seemed to entrance him, to fascinate him and slowly he felt the anger and the feeling of wanting to commit murder leave his body.

Harry slid down the wall in horror as he realized what had just happened. Three words pounding in his head: _he was bad._

Harry closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing. Ginny did the same and kept her hand in his, relieved that she could no longer see the red and raw hatred in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," whispered Harry, his eyes were still closed. "What's happening to me?" he asked even quieter.

"I'll explain soon enough," said Dumbledore gravely.

Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other and to everyone they seem to be having a silent conversation.

"Dinner." squeaked Mrs. Weasley.

Everyone left the room except for Sirius, Lupin, Harry, and Ginny.

Dumbledore and Snape disappeared into the Meeting Room.

Sirius and Lupin knelt down in front of Harry. Sirius couldn't help but feel slightly amused seeing the young girl's fierce protectiveness of his God-son.

"Harry," started Sirius quietly.

"Am I bad?" whispered Harry. He hated sounding so vulnerable; feeling this desperate.

Sirius stared at Harry.

"You are not bad, Harry," said Lupin quietly.

"I – I wanted…" trailed off Harry. But he was too shaken to finish. He didn't need those closest to hate him.

Sirius and Lupin gripped Harry's shoulders comfortingly.

"Tell us when you're comfortable," whispered Sirius, despising that he had to see his God-son with so much pain.

Sirius and Lupin quietly left.

"Would you like if I brought some food in here?" asked Ginny quietly.

Harry could only nod, appreciation rushing through him.

Ginny got up and went to the kitchen, ignoring the stares, and got food for Harry and her.

"What is happening, Albus?" asked Snape quietly, masking the fear in his voice as he paced the Meeting Room.

Dumbledore was quiet.

"Well?"

"I think it is finally time for Harry to learn Occlumency," said Dumbledore quietly.

"I've realized that!" sneered Snape furious. "But how is this possible? Time has stopped!"

Dumbledore looked away and let out a deep breath. "I fear that Harry and Voldemort's connection run deeper than I have previously realized."

Snape simply stared, waiting impatiently for the Headmaster to explain more.

"I fear, that because of the connection Harry and Voldemort have, simple rules don't apply,"

Snape was getting agitated with Dumbledore. "Meaning?"

"I believe that even the rules of time don't apply."

Snape seemed to stop breathing as Dumbledore finally looked up at him gravelly.

"You mean…"

"Yes. Time has not truly stopped for Lord Voldemort."

EEP, I like this chapter(: For those who didn't know, my Wattpad user is kaitlanejkilgore29! My user on this site is also my Pottermore user! Feel free to add me!

I might go back and edit a few grammatical errors in this chap. Just letting you know…

Thanks for reading(:


	14. Chapter 14: Nicholas Flamel

Dinner in the Room of Requirement gradually got better as Teddy Lupin tried to diffuse the tension.

" – I could tell you stories about how many times I trip with my klutziness," laughed Teddy to a grinning Tonks.

"How are you like me?" asked Lupin curiously.

Teddy looked thoughtfully at his father.

"People tell me that I get my gentleness and maturity when it's _needed_ from you. That I'm able to assess any situation like you can. Oh, and that I get my book smarts from you." said Teddy, masking his sadness.

"What house are you in?" asked Sirius as he took a sip of some Butterbeer.

"Ravenclaw," said Teddy proudly. "The hat thought about Gryffindor, but I said I wanted to be in Ravenclaw. Lately the hat has been putting students where they would like to go." He shrugged unconcerned.

"Do you have any of my problems?" asked Lupin quietly.

Teddy stared and started to speak slowly. "I get frequent mood swings and I like my meat on the rawer side, but otherwise not really."

Teddy looked away and started a conversation with Sirius.

Lupin looked at him with suspicion.

"Then there is this baby Hungarian Horntail that only likes me," Laughed Charlie. "Tries to set everyone else on fire."

Hermione grinned. She wasn't truly fond of dragons, but when Charlie described the dragons and his friends it sounded like they were his second family.

Ron could only glower at the happy couple. That should be him and Hermione! Not his brother that was too old for her. First Hermione being a little school girl with a crush and now who he _thought_ was his best mate is supposed to be in slippery Slytherin and had just tried to kill Dumbledore. His mother liked Potter better; it was Harry this and Harry that.

Ron got up from the table, not bothering to thank his mother for the pot roast and apple pie and went into the bedroom Harry and him shared. He lay on his back in his bed thoughtful. How would he get revenge on Harry and Charlie and get attention at the same time without being caught? Plans of retribution ranging from killing to embarrassment swirled in his head.

Ginny didn't want to pry but curiosity was killing her on what was going through Harry's head.

Harry knew it was unfair for Ginny to be so comforting and still not divulge his thoughts, but he couldn't help it. He didn't need any more people hating him.

Ginny sighed quietly. She had her suspicions on why Harry was so quiet.

"Harry," whispered Ginny. "You can tell me anything, you know that, right? I promise not to judge if you decide you want to tell me." Ginny shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.

Harry was quiet for a few moments before finally he started to speak.

"I – "

"Potter,"

Harry and Ginny looked up disappointed to see Snape's blank but piercing expression. His face was framed with curtains of greasy black hair but looked a bit more desolate.

"I want a word with you." He finished swiftly before he disappeared into the Meeting Room with a swish of his black cloak behind him.

Harry and Ginny exchanged looks before Harry slowly got up, gave a quick appreciative smile towards Ginny before he walked to the Meeting Room and opened the door; hoping he wasn't about to get jinxed.

Snape was sitting stiffly in a chair and Harry was motioned to sit in the chair across from the Potions Professor.

There was an awkward silence that included Harry looking at his shoes and Snape studying him like he was an interesting potion ingredient.

"Albus and I believe it is time to inform you of some information. Information you are not allowed to share to the rest of your little trio or your God-father," Snape's lip curled into the familiar sneer near the end.

Harry waited impatiently, his temper reaching boiling point much quicker these days, as he waited for Snape to continue.

Suddenly Harry noticed that Snape's façade was slowly breaking. He looked much older than usual.

"It is our wish that you learn Occlumency until these books are finished."

"Study what?" said Harry blankly.

Snape snorted not amused.

"Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but highly useful one."

Harry's heart quickened. Had he indeed been possessed? Was his worst fear true? Is suspicion that he was dangerous to everyone he loved being confirmed?

"But why?" blurted Harry, wanting to desperately hear more information.

"Because the Headmaster and I believe it's a good idea," said Snape grimly. "You will receive private lessons every night before bed in this room. You are to tell no one, understand?"

"Yes," said Harry confused. "Who's going to be teaching me?"

Harry swore he could see a glint of amusement in Snape's black beetle eyes, but wasn't sure.

"I am," he said.

Harry's stomach plummeted. What on Earth has he done to deserve this?

"W – Why can't Lupin teach me?" asked Harry quickly.

Snape was trying hard not to sneer.

"Because the Headmaster thought I was more suitable for the task, obviously." said Snape slowly, making Harry feel stupid. "If anyone asks what you are doing say you need a place to think."

Snape swiftly got up and made his way to the door.

"What else is going on?" asked Harry quickly, his intuition flaring.

Snape stopped in his tracks; considering if he should divulge the horror's that Albus and him know.

Snape turned around, hesitation clear in his face before it was placed with the usual mask.

"It is to our knowledge that the connection between you and the Dark Lord is very strong. Stronger than we expected." Snape was now whispering.

"How strong?" asked Harry fearfully. "Sir." He added.

"That the laws of time do not apply, no matter how strong your future self is." said Snape before making a dramatic exit leaving Harry stricken.

Does this mean Voldemort hasn't been frozen? That he is able to wreak havoc among the Muggles and Wizards? That he has more time to plan his death?

Harry couldn't help but feel scared that the connection was this strong between him and Voldemort. Snape said that he wasn't allowed to tell anyone, but he didn't want to either. Why have everyone looking fearful and paranoid? He could deal… or could he? Snape said not to tell Hermione, Ron, and Sirius, but could he confide in Ginny? Just to make up for how she comforted him…

With renewed determination Harry walked out of the Meeting Room and peeked into the kitchen of the happy crowd to make sure they were busy before finding Ginny curled up on the couch sleeping. He hesitated. Maybe she should get some sleep…

"Harry?"

Harry looked back and saw Ginny was now awake.

"Hi." said Harry before nervously sitting next to her.

Ginny automatically put her head on his shoulder, keeping her emotions blank as she could.

"So, er – " Harry had no clue how to start.

Ginny saved Harry from the introductions. "What did Snape want?"

This was another reason he liked Ginny. Wait, he liked Ginny? Harry moved his thoughts aside and decided to think about it later. "He wants to teach me Occlumency."

"Occlumency?" asked Ginny confused. "What's that?"

"To stop Voldemort – "

Ginny tried not to flinch for Harry's sake.

" – from getting into my head."

Ginny detected the hesitancy from him and knew this was hard for him to say. And he told _her_ before Ron and Hermione.

"He won't." said Ginny simply.

"But how can you be sure?" blurted Harry.

Ginny took her head off his shoulder and took his hands into hers. "You're Harry Potter." said Ginny, smiling fondly. "You can do anything you put your mind and your heart to."

Harry looked into Ginny's chocolate brown eyes and unconsciously started to lean forward. Ginny breathed in a shaky breath and started to close her eyes.

"So!" bellowed a voice.

Harry and Ginny jumped apart a couple feet to see a grinning Sirius who was innocently raising his eyebrows in mock surprise. He was remembering interrupting Lily and James in their "close" moments and then proceeding to get hexed by an annoyed red head.

Ginny tried not to glare at Harry's God-father but couldn't help that her fingers twitched to her wand. Sirius was humming under his breath cheerfully and winked at Harry when Ginny wasn't looking. Harry was also trying not to glare at his God-father.

Lupin was right behind Sirius and was looking highly amused thinking of the days at Hogwarts and at Godrics Hallow.

Everyone filed into the reading room taking their seats. Tonks and Teddy were still talking animatedly about their most awkward times they have tripped.

Mad-Eye stared straight at Harry and he had the sneaky suspicion that Mad-Eye had been spying on Harry since the incident with Dumbledore.

Bill was looking triumphant that he had beaten Ron to the couch, but noticed that Ron was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Ron?" asked Bill after everyone was seated, this time Harry and Ginny were sitting on a love seat and Charlie and Bill were on either side of Hermione.

"I'll go check." said Mr. Weasley getting up from his seat.

He got back a few minutes later looking confused.

"Ron said he's feeling ill and is going to sit the reading out for now."

Bill and Charlie exchanged apprehensive looks, but everyone else shrugged it off.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "I shall read next. "**Nicholas Flamel**,"

**Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk.**

"What a waste!" cried the twins as they shook their heads in despair.

**Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares.**

Harry would rather take the nightmares he had in his first year than the ones he is having now.

**Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.**

Almost everyone shivered.

"**You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams.**

Hermione rolled her eyes.

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"),**

"Of course," said Charlie amused.

Hermione scowled playfully.

**and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was. **

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere.**

Harry gave Hermione a sheepish look.

**Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again. **

**Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. **

The twins and Harry exchanged looks, remembering the grueling practices Wood forced them through.

**The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side.**

"James." muttered Sirius and Lupin.

**If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.**

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

The twins couldn't help but smirk remembering Wood's red in the face expression as everyone chuckled.

"**Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" **

**George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words. **

Everyone laughed and Sirius couldn't help but shoot Snape a suspicious look.

"_**Snape's **_**refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud.**

Fred clapped his brother on the back as he laughed.

**The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

"**It's not **_**my **_**fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us." **

Almost everyone snorted.

**Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch…**

Snape rolled his eyes, already annoyed with the angst against him.

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.**

Charlie and Bill laughed. Hermione glared and Charlie grabbed her hand causing her glaring to soften.

"**Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Harry's face. **

"**What's the matter with you? You look terrible." **

**Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and gave the best non-verbal apology towards Snape as he could.

Snape's lips twitched and gave Harry a curt nod.

"**Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

"**Say you're ill," said Ron.**

"Not going to work!" sang the twins and Sirius.

"**Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.**

"_**Really **_**break your leg," said Ron.**

"Still wouldn't work!" yelled the twins.

"**I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."**

"There should be." muttered Charlie disapprovingly.

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower. Everyone fell over laughing**

"Do you go through that all the time, Neville?" asked Luna dreamily.

"Not lately." said a familiar voice making most jump in surprise.

Neville Longbottom had suddenly appeared in the Room of Requirement and a new chair was placed next to Luna.

"Hi Neville!" chorused a few people cheerfully.

Neville smiled and happily went to go sit next to Luna. [A/N: This is already assuming that Neville knows Luna]

After Neville was caught up and was explained why everyone was here Minerva continued to read.

**except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the counter curse.**

"Thanks for that." said Neville gratefully.

Hermione smiled. Charlie was looking at Neville suspiciously which made Bill roll his eyes.

**Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. **

"**What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron. **

"**Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

Malfoy tried not to cower from the looks he was receiving.

"**Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" **

**Neville shook his head. **

"**I don't want more trouble," he mumbled. **

"**You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier." **

"Probably the smartest statement I ever heard Ron make," said Ginny surprised.

"**There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. **

**Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. **

"You still had a Chocolate Frog left from Christmas?" moaned Lupin before he could stop himself. Tonks, Teddy, and Sirius were smiling the widest as everyone laughed.

**He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry. **

Neville blushed.

"**You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."**

Almost everyone smiled at Harry for his kindness. Only Malfoy, Narcissa, and Snape were glowering.

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog. **

"**Thanks, Harry…I think I'll go to bed…D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" **

**As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card. **

"**Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

Harry grinned guiltily at Hermione who looked peeved.

"_**I've found him!**_**" he whispered. **

"**I've found Flamel! I **_**told **_**you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, **_**and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'**_**!" **

"It was on the Chocolate Frog card?" asked Sirius as he laughed his barking laugh.

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.**

Charlie chuckled and Hermione elbowed him in the chest.

"**Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. **

"**I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading." **

"Light?" chorused a few people amused.

Hermione blushed and Bill noticed his brother was whipped as he was looking at Hermione fondly. Bill tried to hide his laughing by coughing loudly.

"_**Light**_**?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. **

**At last she found what she was looking for. **

"**I knew it! I **_**knew **_**it!" **

"**Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.**

"_**Nicolas Flamel," **_**she whispered dramatically, "**_**is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone**_**!"**

A few people looked confused, but others straightened in their seats.

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected. **.

"**The what?" said Harry and Ron. **

"**Oh, **_**honestly**_**, don't you two read? Look – read that, there."**

**She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read: **

_**The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.**_

_**There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**_

Sirius was now looking confused. Snivullis was a greedy git, but not _that_ much.

Lupin stiffened. He knew only one man that would want a stone like that and he was supposedly dead until last summer…

"**See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!" **

"**A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! **_**Anyone **_**would want it." **

"I wouldn't want to watch all my loved ones die," said Charlie wisely.

Many nodded in agreement.

"**And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that **_**Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry**_**," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"**

"Not exactly." said Dumbledore amused.

**The next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.**

Half the room looked somber making Snape roll his eyes.

"**I'm going to play," he told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them…it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win." **

"**Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione. **

"How comforting." said Tonks grinning.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?**

"They haven't won since I was there?" asked Charlie horrified.

There were a few somber nods, including Minerva.

**Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him, trying to catch him on his own.**

Snape looked away from any looks toward him.

**Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher's Stone?**

**Harry didn't see how he could — yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

Snape smirked. He was even better than the Dark Lord. But Snape's small smile went away as a sudden thought came to him before he glanced down at his arm. What if the Dark Lord called for him?

Dumbledore caught Snape's eye before he nodded that they would discuss it later.

**Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again.**

Hermione grinned.

**This wasn't what you'd call comforting.**

"I can't imagine why." said Sirius sarcastically.

**Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand. **

**Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. **

Neville nodded. He thought they were being over dramatic.

**Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.**

"That would be great to see happening to someone on a broomstick." said Sirius and laughing.

The twins exchanged evil smiles.

"**Now, don't forget, it's **_**Locomotor Mortis**_**," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve. **

"**I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag." **

Charlie had no reason to glare since Ron wasn't in the room.

**Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside. **

"**Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much." **

Snape tried not to scoff. He would probably cheer more for Gryffindor than _Hufflepuff._

"**The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!"**

Snape glowered at the Headmaster who only chuckled.

**Harry's heart did a somersault. **

"_**Dumbledore?**_**" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. **

**Harry could have laughed out loud with relief, he was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.**

"A few people would." muttered Teddy, receiving confused looks. He waved them off.

**Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.**

"**I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look — they're off. Ouch!"**

Mrs. Weasley let out a small squeak.

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. **

**It was Malfoy. **

"**Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." **

Almost everyone snorted.

**Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle. **

"**Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" **

**Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. **

"I was aiming for the Slytherin behind you," said George innocently.

For some reason no one believed him.

Fred was turning red from containing his laughter, remembering the expression on Snape's face.

**Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch. **

"**You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, **

Malfoy winced.

**then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money**

All Weasley's except for Percy glared.

**you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."**

More glared directed at the Slytherin boy.

Neville hid a smile.

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. **

"**I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered. **

No one said anything for Neville's sake.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

A few people rolled their eyes.

"**Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something." **

**Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry. **

"**I'm warning you, Malfoy — one more word—" **

"**Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry —" **

"**What? Where?" **

**Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, **

All Quidditch fans were on the edge of their seats.

**as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

Minerva paused as a few people flicked pages in their Muggle dictionaries before Harry received impressed looks making Hermione snort.

"**You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy. **

**Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, **

Mr. Weasley cheered, wishing his son was in the room, missing a look from his wife.

**wrestling him to the ground. **

**Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help. **

"**Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape — she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle. **

"CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" bellowed Moody making everyone jump and Tonks' hair to turn red.

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.**

Snape tried not to grimace.

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

Minerva nodded her head proudly. Sirius and Charlie tried not to stare at Harry open-mouthed.

"**Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.**

"Didn't know you got so excited watching Quidditch, Mione," said Charlie, the nickname rolling off his tongue smoothly.

Hermione blushed and was secretly pleased that Charlie gave her a nickname.

**Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. **

**As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped — then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face. **

"**Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror…been keeping busy…excellent…" **

Bill glanced at the Headmaster. Why did he favor Harry so much?

**Snape spat bitterly on the ground.**

"So that's why there is a bare spot there!" said the twins grinning.

Everyone was laughing or chuckling.

Snape glowered.

**Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broom shed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now – no one could say he was just a famous name any more.**

**The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

Mr. Weasley wished he could give his son a thumbs up, but instead smiled at Neville for helping.

**Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape… **

**And speaking of Snape… **

Sirius perked up.

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?**

Snape groaned under his breath.

**Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed.**

"Of course," muttered many making Harry's face redden.

**The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.**

**He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. **

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. **

Harry and Hermione grimaced.

**Harry strained to catch what they were saying. **

**"**…**d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…" **

"**Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all." **

**Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him. **

"**Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" **

"**B-b-but Severus, I —" **

"**You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him. **

Everyone silently agreed.

"**I-I don't know what you—" **

"**You know perfectly well what I mean." **

**An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. **

**He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."**

"Wish I could have heard the rest." grumbled Harry.

"**B-but I d-d-don't —" **

"**Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie." **

Lupin was looking thoughtful again.

**He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

Hermione flinched making Charlie looking perplexed.

"**Harry, where have you **_**been**_**?" Hermione squeaked. **

"**We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right — talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens." **

Mrs. Weasley scowled.

"The bloody House elves _like_ to Mum!" said the twins.

"What?!" squeaked Hermione.

"Er – " the twins looked at each other. "Read on Professor!" they chorused to their Transfiguration Professor before Hermione could answer.

"**Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this…" **

**He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, **

"Good." said Kingsley nodding, remembering _his _days at Hogwarts when he didn't know the Poltergeist was hiding close by…

**then he told them what he'd seen and heard. **

"**So we were right, it **_**is **_**the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"**

Snape smirked amused that they would think he would need help with the Dark Arts.

"**So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. **

"**It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron. **

A few people chuckled.

"That's the end of the chapter." said McGonagall.

"I'll read next," said Charlie cheerfully.

His smile faltered a bit when he found out which chapter he vollenteered to read.

He sighed loudly. "**The Norwegian Ridgeback**_**,**__"_


	15. Chapter 15: The Dragon

"**The Norwegian Ridgeback**," read Charlie.

**Quirrel, however must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner,**

"Poor bloke." muttered Sirius, missing a frustrated look from Harry and Hermione.

**but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet. **

**Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. **

Snape turned his head away from everyone so they didn't see him roll his eyes.

_Who wouldn't have a temper if you had to take care of little insignificant children all day long, including a boy that would put his nose into everything? _thought Snape as his lips curled into a sneer.

**Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him and encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter. **

Harry groaned quietly, quite forgetting this. He and Hermione exchanged more frustrated looks.

Ginny was starting to get more confused than ever seeing all the Harry and Hermione "exchanges." She was noticing they were always doing this whenever Professor Quirrell was brought up…

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone.**

"What could be more important than an immortal stone?" asked Sirius raising an eyebrow.

Charlie grinned before he started reading again. Hermione's face started to flush.

**She had started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same. **

"I tried also Hermione," said Lupin amused. "It'll never work."

Sirius laughed his barking laugh as he reminisced in memories.

"**Hermione, the exams are ages away."**

"**Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

"**But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."**

Minerva and reluctantly Snape agreed with that statement.

"**What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…"**

"You need to have fun sometimes, Mione," said Charlie, nudging her with his shoulder.

Hermione looked amused at the thought of having _fun_.

Mr. Weasley was starting to catch on that Charlie and Hermione could be a couple in the near future. He couldn't help but smile to himself.

Mrs. Weasley was, for now, oblivious.

Sirius was trying hard not to look horrified at the prospect of _studying_. Of course, he got top marks from having a good memory and a few of the pranks required skilled magic, which helped. Also studying _was_ important since you have to have great marks to be an Auror… Sirius was even more horrified of how mature his thoughts were drifting. When did this happen? He glowered at the floor. _Azkaban_.

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as fun as the Christmas ones.**

"I hate it when they do that." muttered many in the room making McGonagall shake her head exasperated.

**It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood**

"Which was only an extra credit question." muttered Hermione annoyed.

**Or wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.**

"That has to be Lily." Lupin murmured to Sirius.

Sirius agreed. James would never be caught in a library to do _anything_ unless a certain red head was in the proximity.

"**I'll never remember this," Ron burs out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.**

All Quidditch fanatics were muttering how nice of flying conditions that was.

**Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in **_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, **_**didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"**

**Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back.**

Everyone straightened in their seats.

**He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.**

"**Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"**

"**Oh we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively . "**_**And**_** we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St – "**

"_**Shhhh**_**!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening**

"Constant vigilance, constant vigilance." growled Moody.

Tonks rolled her eyes at her mentor.

"I saw that," he added, both eyes zooming over to the bubble gum pink haired witch.

"**Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"**

"**There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy – " **

"**SHHHH!"**

More and more people were looking amused.

**Said Hagrid again. "Listen – come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', **

"Of course not," said Neville amused at the trio's antics.

**mind, but don't go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh – "**

"He already did," muttered Bill.

"**See you later, then," said Harry.**

**Hagrid shuffled off.**

"**What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

"**Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"**

"**I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.**

"_**Dragons!" **_

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes along with many others.

_Hagrid couldn't be that dim-witted to have a dragon!_ thought Mrs. Weasley, trying to convince herself. But then there was the chapter title… Wasn't that a dragon species? Oh no.

**He whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at thes: **_**Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon's Kepper's Guide."**_

"**Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," said Harry.**

"**But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709**

"Sure he can remember the exact date when dragon breeding was over ruled but couldn't remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion." muttered Hermione, half amused and half annoyed.

**everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden – anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania.**

"Which ones are those?" asked Hermione curiously, trying to mask her worrying.

Charlie could detect the hint of fearfulness in Mione's voice and decided to cheer her up. She could use a little flush on her cheeks anyway noticing how white she had turned.

"Not anywhere I can show you here." said Charlie before he winked.

Almost everyone laughed (except for three disapproving women) and to Charlie's happiness saw Hermione blushing red and start to stutter non-coherent words. Charlie could only laugh and put his arm casually around Hermione shoulders, his body shaking from laughter.

Bill was smirking broadly, but it disappeared for a moment when he saw in the corner of his eye Charlie and his door to their room open and close. Did he see a flash of red hair? He shook off the bad feeling he was having.

Charlie began to read one-handed after the twins had gotten back in their seats whom had previously been rolling on the ground never aware their older brother could be so amusing.

"**But there aren't wild dragons in **_**Britain**_**?" said Harry. **

"**Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget." **

Charlie nodded. It was part of the training to learn the spell to erase a Muggle's memory and then to report it to the Ministry if someone had gotten a glimpse of the fire-breathing beast.

"**So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione. **

**When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. **

Many eyes narrowed in suspicion knowing this wasn't normal Hagrid behavior.

**It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused. **

"**So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?" **

"**Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. **

**"We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy." **

"Nice and casual, eh?" said Tonks chuckling.

**Hagrid frowned at him. **

"**O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy." **

"Because of the ferret," smirked Ginny to Harry making him chuckle.

"**Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you **_**do **_**know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. **

Everyone looked at the young witch who promptly blushed.

"It won't work." said George confident.

"A sickle?" asked Fred smirking.

"Deal,"

Charlie continued to read before his mother could reprimand the twins for gambling.

**Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. **

"**We only wondered who had **_**done **_**the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." **

More incredulous looks were directed at the said witch.

McGonagall started muttering to herself, never knowing how crafty her brightest student was.

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione. **

"No wonder they get away with everything." muttered Draco to himself. He couldn't help but be impressed. That's what a Slytherin would do and she's a Mudlblood...

"**Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that…**

A few of the adults groaned softly. Drinks and flattery were weak points to the friendly giant.

George grudgingly handed his triumphant twin a sickle.

**let's see…he borrowed Fluffy from me…then some o' the teachers did enchantments…Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — Professor McGonagall —" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape." **

"_**Snape?**_**" **

"**Yeah — yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped **_**protect **_**the Stone, he's not about ter steal it." **

Severus couldn't help but be surprised that the oaf kept defending him.

**Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it.**

Lupin was starting to get disturbed of how easy the Stone truly was to get to.

**He probably knew everything — except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy. **

"**You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?" **

"**Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly. **

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. If Harry hadn't thought of it, it might have been too late to save the Stone.

"**Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling." **

"**Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too. **

"**Hagrid — what's **_**that**_**?" **

**But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

Sirius' eyes widened in delight. He's always wanted to see a dragon up close and personal.

"Remember sixth year?" muttered Lupin to Sirius who paled and started to glare at the werewolf who only smirked.

Tonks looked curious.

"I'll tell you later, but let's just say it was the best prank James ever did to Sirius, which includes an angry ex-girlfriend with revenge."

Tonks grinned.

"**Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, **

**"That's — er…" **

"**Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune." **

"**Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest." **

Charlie looked perplexed and surprised. Dragon eggs could be sold for thousands of galleons on the black market. What stranger happens to be walking around with a dragon egg in his pocket?

"**Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library —**_**Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit **_—

Charlie groaned.

Hermione looked at him curiously.

"It's an old book," explained Charlie. "It has some good tips, but in Romania we found a safer way to take care of the dragons."

**it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." **

Bill shoved Charlie noticing he had gone into a dreamy state. Charlie snapped back into reality and blushed.

"Brandy and chicken blood?"

Charlie looked at Hermione. "Well, we use pixie blood instead of brandy now. Brandy seems to give the dragons more of a temper when they get older."

Hermione nodded intrigued.

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't. **"**Hagrid, you live in a **_**wooden house**_**," she said. **

Many eyes widened forgetting this key information.

**But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire. **

**So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut. **

"He'd go to Azkaban or be given a hefty fine and would lose his job." said Kingsley gravelly.

"**Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, **

Harry and Hermione sighed also.

**as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts. **

Lupin chuckled. Hermione reminded him of him in school, but after a while he had given up.

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: **_**It's hatching. **_

"You actually got to watch?" said Charlie, Sirius, the twins, and Tonks in awe.

Harry nodded mutely trying not to blush with all the eyes directed at him.

Hermione's face went pink.

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it. **

"**Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" **

"**We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—" **

"At least _someone_ has some common sense." said Mrs. Weasley with a sigh.

"**Shut up!" Harry whispered. **

**Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen.**

There was a collective groan making Malfoy sink deeper into his chair.

**How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all. **

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest.**

"So that's what they were doing," said Neville surprised, who had noticed the trio being the first out of the room.

**Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited. **

"**It's nearly out." He ushered them inside. **

**The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. **

**They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath. **

"They should probably step back." said Charlie anxiously and excited.

**All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. **

"After the first couple of weeks they start looking more regal." said Charlie reassuringly to no one in particular.

Mrs. Weasley wasn't sure any dragon could look _regal_.

**It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout. **

"**Isn't he **_**beautiful**_**?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. **

"**Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" said Hagrid. **

Charlie looked amused.

"**Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?" **

Charlie made a face. "They are the fastest growing dragons in the world which is another reason why they're so rare."

**Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window. **

"**What's the matter?" **

"**Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school." **

**Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him. **

**Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

McGonagall looked surprised. So the boy _was_ telling the truth.

"Is it your life ambition to get my God-son and his friends in trouble?" demanded Sirius.

Malfoy didn't comment.

**Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him. **

"Not going to work!" sung the twins.

"**Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free." **

"**I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die." **

"Yeah, she would." sighed Charlie sadly.

"She?" asked Harry surprised.

Charlie nodded. "We call her Norberta now. The females are more vicious."

"And how would you know this particular dragon, Charlie?" asked Mrs. Weasley suspiciously.

Charlie's eyes widened in panic, knowing he had given too much away.

Charlie looked away from his mother's gaze, cleared his throat and continued to read.

**They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his game keeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor. **

"**I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?" **

**He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear. **

Many nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Weasley continued to look at Charlie. _How did he know what the dragon's name was?_

"**Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment." **

**Hagrid bit his lip. **

"**I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't." **

**Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie." he said. **

"And how do you play in this young man?" asked Molly, narrowing her eyes even further.

Charlie may be a grown man, but his mother's glare could make a dragon scurry away in fright.

"**You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?" **

A few people chuckled.

"**No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!" **

"She's actually in the reserve for rare and dangerous dragons." said Charlie, but instantly regretted it as his mother's glare went up a notch.

"**Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?" **

**And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him. **

**The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate. **

"**It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. **

"They're poisonous." groaned Charlie.

Mrs. Weasley squeaked in fright. "What happens?"

"It swells up to an extreme side and soon produces green boils that need to be popped carefully or else the acid will burn through everything once the boil is popped." said Charlie as if he ate a textbook.

Mrs. Weasley looked horrified.

Bill rolled his eyes at his brother who made a face realizing what he had said.

"**I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby." **

A few people shook their heads exasperated.

**There was a tap on the dark window. **

"**It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!" **

"You better have said to go tell Dumbledore." said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes narrowing again.

Charlie felt rather foolish. He really _should_ have said that…

**The three of them put their heads together to read the note. **

_**Dear Ron, **_

_**How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon. **_

_**Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark. **_

_**Send me an answer as soon as possible. **_

_**Love, **_

_**Charlie**_

"It's a good plan." muttered Sirius, but wasn't heard over Mrs. Weasley's rage.

"CHARLES ARTHUR WEASLEY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley making a few cover their ears.

Charlie wanted to sink into the arm chair as Mrs. Weasley continued to rant until she was red in the face.

Mr. Weasley was feeling sorry for his son and finally as Mrs. Weasley took in a breath Arthur got up and directed her back to the couch.

Charlie was rather red with embarrassment and Bill was trying to hide his amusement.

Hermione cleared her throat and Charlie hadn't noticed that he had been squeezing Mione's hand rather tight. He loosened his grip, gave her an apologetic smile and continued to read.

**They looked at one another. **

"**We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert." **

"But it could tear." said Tonks worried.

Harry started looking curious. Weren't all cloaks like his? His cloak had no faults and it had been his father's…

Sirius and Lupin were thinking along the same lines as Harry,

**It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy. **

**There was a hitch. **

"Of course there is." muttered almost everyone in the room.

**By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? **

"Of course she would." said Teddy amused with his God-father's thoughts.

**By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous. **

Mrs. Weasley let out another frightened squeak.

**Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed. **

"**It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this." **

Malfoy tried not to grimace. That was part of it, but he probably would have done it anyway.

Narcissa gave her son a cold look. The Weasley's noticed it was almost as dangerous as Mrs. Weasley's look.

**Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down. **

"**It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat. **

"**Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert." **

"Damn." said Sirius, ignoring the many remarks he got for cursing. Could these children get a break?

**Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep. **

"**It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we **_**have **_**got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that." **

"I do now." said Draco smirking. Harry grimaced.

**They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail **

Charlie sighed. There should never be any animals in the vicinity of a dragon that can't defend its self.

**when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them. **

"**I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage — nothin' I can't handle." **

**When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg. **

"**Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus' playin' — he's only a baby, after all." **

"True." said Charlie, missing the looks from a few adults.

**The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough. **

"It never does." said the twins forlorn.

**They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. **

The twins snickered. They had told Peeves to do that by Snape's sleeping dormitory since they had gotten detentions the previous day from said Professor.

Snape grimaced remembering.

**Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate. **

"**He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely." **

Charlie looked amused. A stuffed animal against a dragon has no chance.

"The poor teddy bear." said Luna rather seriously.

"**Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!" **

**How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another – even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier. **

"The map?" asked Sirius excited.

"He didn't get that until his third year." said Lupin before Harry could speak.

Sirius looked disappointed.

The twins were looking curious. Were they talking about _the_ map?

"**Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. **

**Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate.**

**Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. **

**Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear. **

"I would have loved to see that." chortled Neville who received surprised looks.

"**Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how **_**dare **_**you —" **

"**You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming — he's got a dragon!" **

"**What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!" **

McGonagall looked apologetic. "Twenty points to Slytherin."

The Gryffindor's protested but the Professor wouldn't hear a word of it.

Malfoy could only stare at the Professor he loathed so much.

Snape hid a bewildered expression.

**The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig. **

"**Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!" **

A few people laughed.

"**Don't," Harry advised her. **

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. **

**Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. **

"That they are." chuckled Charlie.

"They could have been imposters." grumbled Moody.

Tonks rolled her eyes.

**They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. **

**At last, Norbert was going…going…**_**gone**_**. **

There were a few that let out relieved sighs.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil their happiness? **

A few people groaned.

"Jinxed it, Harry." said Ginny, rolling her eyes.

**The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness. **

"**Well, well, well," he whispered, "we **_**are **_**in trouble." **

**They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower. **

There were more collective groans and Sirius looked horrified.

"Who would like to read – " started Charlie.

"I _knew_ you had done something!"

Everyone jumped and turned to see a Ronald Weasley looking slightly deranged. His face was twisted with fury that was directed towards a bewildered Charlie Weasley.

"Ron, what – " said Hermione in complete confusion.

"What were you doing in our room?" asked Bill suspiciously.

Ron ignored both of them. "I found these," he shook a box of chocolates that was in his right hand. "In Hermione's room."

"What were you doing in my room?" asked Hermione hotly. Those were the delicious box of chocolates her parents had given her on Boxing Day.

Ron pretended not to have heard her. "And I found these," he shook a handful of papers in his left hand. "In Bill and Charlie's room."

"Ron, what are you talking about?" asked Hermione perplexed.

Ron took a deep breath and looked at Hermione. "You've been under a love potion, Hermione."


	16. Chapter 16: The Forbidden Forest

"What?" said Hermione blankly, not believing what her ears were hearing.

Ron just looked at her. "My brother, Charlie, gave you a love potion." he said slowly.

"I would never – " started Charlie angrily.

"I've got papers in _your_ hand writing on how to make a love potion and how to mix it with chocolate." Ron promptly shook the papers.

Hermione eyes widened. It couldn't be true.

Charlie eyes also widened. What was his brother playing at? He looked at Hermione pleadingly, but she was closed off.

Hermione got up; shaking off Charlie arm that was around her shoulders."I need to think."

She disappeared into her and Ginny's bedroom leaving a stricken and bewildered room of people.

Ron was looking at Charlie with loathing.

Bill got out of his shock and got up and took the papers roughly out of Ron's hands looking them over.

He scanned the page, but not really looking at the words, but at the handwriting. It _looked_ like Charlie's hand writing. Bill frowned. There was a spell to copy someone else's hand writing, but you can't use magic in this room according to the letter.

Bill looked perplexed at Charlie. He knew his brother better than anyone. He _knew_ that Charlie would never do this. But the evidence looked solid.

Harry quickly closed his mouth that had previously been gaping. Charlie gave Hermione a love potion? It _would_ explain why she suddenly liked him, but Charlie seemed like a cheerful, honest fellow.

Charlie was cringing at the looks he was receiving.

"I would _never _do that to Mione." said Charlie desperately, wanting everyone, _someone_, to believe him.

Everyone was giving him wary looks. Did no one believe him?

"Let's check on Hermione." muttered Ginny to Harry who nodded and followed Ginny to her and Hermione's bedroom.

Ginny was trying to wrap her head around Charlie doing that to a human being. _Her _Char-bear.

They had just closed the door to see a crying Hermione when a shouting match between Charlie and Ron took place.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING RON? I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO HER!"

"THE PROOF IS RIGHT HERE! SHE DIDN"T FANCY YOU SO YOU POISONED HER!"

"I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

"WHY NOT!?"

"CAUSE I LOVE HER MERLIN DAMNIT!"

Charlie's eyes widened in horror and he took a step back. He hadn't meant to say that. Ron eyes widened also along with everyone else in the room.

Charlie couldn't deal with the accusing looks or his brother any longer. He walked fast to his and Bill's room and disappeared.

Bill still had the papers clenched in his fists and he followed Charlie after taking the box of chocolates out of Ron's hand.

"I think we can all have a snack." squeaked Mrs. Weasley faintly.

Everyone followed the witch into the kitchen; whispering and muttering as they went.

"Shhh, it's okay, Hermione," said Ginny soothingly, giving Harry an anxious and desperate glance over Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione, Ginny, and Harry were on Hermione's bed cross legged. Currently, Hermione was hugging Ginny as if she was a life line and sobbing loudly.

Harry had no clue on what to do. Did his best mate lie or was Charlie truly giving Hermione a love potion? Ron was not an exceptional student at charms or at potions so he doubted that Ron had set it all up. Charlie looked sincere about everything and even Bill after seeing the facts didn't believe it. What was going on? Who was he supposed to believe?

"Hermione, please," said Harry quietly.

Hermione only sobbed louder and let go of Ginny to hug Harry even more tightly.

"Oh, Harry, I don't know what to believe." she sobbed. "Has he been lying all this time? Should I have believed Ron when he said his brother was a git?"

Harry didn't have an answer and she continued to drench his shirt with tears.

"Did you – "

"FOR THE LAST TIME, NO!"

Charlie and Bill were in their room arguing. Charlie was pacing and Bill was leaning up against a wall studying his distressed brother.

"And you are telling me the complete tru – "

"YES!" barked Charlie, running his fingers frantically through his hair.

Bill hasn't seen his brother this distressed since he had seen five dragons die on the same day over a year ago.

Bill sighed. "I honestly don't think Ron is skilled enough to make a love potion and forge your hand writing."

"But?"

"But I believe you wouldn't do this."

Charlie stopped pacing and looked at his brother.

"You don't?" whispered Charlie.

"No."

The two men were silent for a while.

"Do you really love Hermione already?" asked Bill quietly.

Charlie glanced at his brother before he looked away to stare at a wall and sighed.

"I didn't mean to say that."

"But do you?"

Charlie was silent. Yes, despite himself, he did love her already, which was very, very wrong. He didn't even remember the last time he even _liked_ a girl. It was always family first, then dragons, then the Order, then friends, and _then_ his life.

Bill could clearly see the answer on his brother's face.

He sighed. This just made things more difficult.

"Tonight after this book we'll go through these papers and the chocolates to see if whoever did this made a mistake." said Bill finally.

Charlie gave Bill a small thankful smile before turning worried.

Everyone was going to hate him. They all believed Ron; he could see it in their faces, even _her._

Charlie kicked the wall in frustration.

Bill could only look sadly at his brother. They were almost as close as Fred and George.

What was he going to do?

A half hour later Bill had finally dragged Charlie out of their room to sit on the couch to continue the reading.

Charlie could only look away from all the glowers he was receiving and currently wanted to go die in a Gnome's hole.

A few minutes later Harry and Ginny had finally coaxed Hermione out of the bedroom and into the reading room. Hermione was now sitting in between Ginny and Harry.

Charlie had a pained expression on his face as he studied his Mione. Her face was red and puffy, clearly indicating she had been crying. Her eyes were bright and shiny and she was slightly shaking. He hated seeing her this way. He wanted to just hold her and say everything was alright.

"I think I'll read next." said Mr. Weasley curtly after a long uncomfortable silence.

He picked up the book, turned to the right page and started to read.

"**The Forbidden Forest**,"

"What!?" yelled many people in shock.

Harry's eyes widened as he remembered how he served his first detention all those years ago. He started to sink deeper in the sofa as everyone started to stare.

Fred and George exchanged bewildered looks. They've been trying to get into the Forest since their first year! How did Harry manage it?

"Harry – " started Sirius dangerously.

"Just read, Mr. Weasley," said Harry weakly.

**Things couldn't have been worse. **

"Considering this is _you_ we are talking about, Harry, I disagree," said Teddy with a smirk.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. **

Charlie grimaced.

**Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. **

"You should always have an excuse ready," said Sirius sternly.

Harry's lips twitched almost into a smile.

Mrs. Weasley was giving Black a disapproving glare.

**They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? **

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.**

McGonagall grimaced. They would have had detention for the rest of the year, but she wouldn't have expelled them. Albus wouldn't have allowed it anyway.

**Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. **

**When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville. **

"**Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag–'**

Sirius groaned and Neville couldn't help that his face started to redden.

"Sorry, Harry," muttered Neville embarrassed.

Harry shook his head. Why apologize for something so trivial that happened five years ago?

**Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them. **

Minerva couldn't believe that her students were so afraid of her. Was she really that intimidating?

"**I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. **_**Explain yourselves**_**." **

**It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. **

"Gryffindor's," muttered Malfoy as he shook his head.

"**I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" **

Swift glares were sent to the Professor who did a well job hiding her blush.

"You were thinking of James," said Lupin softly.

Minerva couldn't look at him.

Harry eyebrows went together. Why would his father do something like that?

**Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville — Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them. **

"You looked sincere." said Neville.

"**I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! **

"And you didn't think of us?" said Sirius, faking hurt. He put a mocking hand to his chest. "I'm hurt, Minnie," Sirius had a faint smirk on his face.

Minerva pursed her lips and didn't answer. A few people chuckled.

**You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this.** **All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, **_**nothing **_**gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous —**

"Why is it dangerous?" asked Tonks curiously.

McGonagall glanced at the Headmaster.

**and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor." **

"WHAT?!" said Sirius and Tonks horrified.

"_**Fifty**_**?" Harry gasped — they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match. **

"**Fifty points **_**each**_**," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. **

Tonks and Sirius seemed to be lost for words; their mouths open in shock.

The twins exchanged looks. So _that's_ why they had lost the lead. They started feeling slightly ashamed.

"**Professor — please —" **

"**You **_**can't **_—**" **

"**Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students." **

"I think James and I have done worse," said Sirius, finally getting his voice back.

Harry was starting to feel perplexed and he could feel his frustration getting to breaking point.

What did his father do?

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this? **

"_Nothing much, just defeat Voldemort," _thought Harry bitterly.

**Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done? **

"They'd get ignored and glared at," said Ginny and Sirius automatically.

Minerva now was feeling perplexed. Why would her Gryffindor's do that? It was just House Points no matter how bad she wanted to win the House Cup.

**At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years. **

A few people grimaced. It was bad enough to be insulted by their house and it was another to be insulted by the whole school.

**Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!" **

Malfoy tried not wince. Snape hid his surprise. He didn't think that it had gotten so out of hand.

**Only Ron stood by him. **

"**They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them." **

"What?" said Mrs. Weasley dangerously.

The twins gulped.

"He did it." said the twins in unison pointing at their other twin.

Mrs. Weasley's glare didn't waver as people turned their laughing into coughing.

"**They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably. **

"**Well — no," Ron admitted. **

**It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. **

"That didn't last long," mumbled Hermione, smiling half-heartily.

Harry smiled at her amused.

**He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team. **

"Really?" asked several people shocked. They knew how much Harry liked Quidditch.

"It's not going to work!" chorused the twins, trying to get past the awkwardness for Harry's sake.

_**Resign**_**?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?" **

**But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker." **

The twins exchanged looks again. They didn't call him that, but they didn't talk to him either.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.**

"But you could have won some more points," said Lupin kindly.

Hermione turned pink. Why didn't she think of that? I guess embarrassment won over common sense.

**Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. **

**He, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions… **

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. **

Charlie wanted to comment, but he knew that he would see Hermione in pain so he kept his mouth shut.

**Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice. **

"**No — no — not again, please —" **

**It sounded as though someone was threatening him. **

Almost everyone straightened up in their seats.

**Harry moved closer. **

"**All right — all right —" he heard Quirrell sob. **

**Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban.**

Harry grimaced.

**He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. **

**All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room, **

"This gambling problem of yours, Harry, is getting out of hand," said Fred sadly.

"We'll set you up with the counselor tomorrow," said George determined.

Harry rolled his eyes, his lips twitching almost into a smile as everyone chuckled.

**and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last. **

Snape glared as Sirius groaned.

**Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them what he'd heard. **

"Do you ever _not_ tell them something?" asked Neville amused.

Harry looked away as everyone chuckled. He hadn't told Ron and Hermione all the details of what happened in the graveyard the previous summer and about the Dursleys.

Hermione was thinking along the same lines as Harry who gave him a worried look.

"**Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —" **

Snape couldn't hold back a snort, which made everyone turn to stare at him. He tried turning it into a cough, but no one was fooled.

"**There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione. **

"**Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. **

"That there is," said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling.

**So what do we do, Harry?" **

**The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could. **

"**Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure." **

"**But we've got no **_**proof**_**!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." **

"Well," said Lupin surprised. "I think you've covered everything."

"That's got to be a Potter trait," muttered Sirius.

**Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't. **

"**If we just do a bit of poking around —" **

"**No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around." **

**He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons. **

**The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same: **

_**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.**_

_**Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.**_

_**Professor McGonagall**_

"Eleven o'clock?" asked Mrs. Weasley surprised. "Why so late?"

She didn't get an answer.

**Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got. **

**At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too. **

"**Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. **"**I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes…hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me…It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out…hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed…**

"He really should not be around children." muttered Tonks as she shivered.

There was a murmur of agreement.

**Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do." **

**They marched off across the dark grounds. **

"The grounds?" asked Mrs. Weasley, getting more worried. "Where are they headed?"

Lupin eyes widened a fraction of an inch. They're doing detention in the Forbidden Forest and this late at night?

**Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. **

**The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout. **

"**Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." **

**Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. **

Sirius sighed quietly, relieved.

**His relief must have showed in his face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece." **

"WHAT?!" screeched Mrs. Weasley. "They're only children!" she protested in horror.

Sirius was worried, but curious at the same time as were the twins.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. **

"**The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. **

"**We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard." **

Lupin couldn't hold back a snort.

**Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise. **

"**That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?" **

**Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder. **

"**Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?" **

**"You shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."**

"**That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here." **

"**I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, **

McGonagall frowned. She knew Argus was unpleasant, but not to this extent.

**and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness. **

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid. **

"**I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice. **

"**Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it." **

The twins cheered and Malfoy glowered.

"**But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, **

"Copying lines?" said Bill amused.

Harry's glanced at Bill for a second. The papers were in Charlie _and_ Bill's room. Did Bill…? No, there was no motive for that. Harry felt guilty for even considering that possibility.

**if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—" **

"—**tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. **

"**Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on." **

"Go, Hagrid!" cheered the twins and Sirius.

"Really, Sirius, act your age," said Mrs. Weasley in distaste. She didn't trust him no matter how much Harry did.

Lupin gave Sirius a cautious look, making Sirius bite back a retort.

**Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze. **

"**Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." **

**He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest. **

"**Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. **

There were a few gasps around the room.

**There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery." **

"It's a dreadful thing to slay something so pure," said Teddy softly.

Many nodded sadly in agreement.

"**And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. **

"**There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. **"**An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least." **

"**I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth. **

Charlie snorted. "Fang is like a big teddy b – " He quickly closed his mouth noticing all the glares he was receiving for even speaking. He looked down. He and Bill exchanged looks. They _needed_ to look through the evidence to prove Charlie's innocence and fast.

"**All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. **

"Bad choice," muttered several people.

**Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go." **

**The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves. **

**Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried. **

"_**Could **_**a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked. **

"Not fast enough," said Lupin automatically.

"**Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before." **

**They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path. **

"**You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!" **

Mrs. Weasley squeaked in horror. "What, now?!"

"Harry you should join Lupin and I," said Sirius calmly, knowing this was going to do hell on his nerves.

Harry and Ginny exchanged looks behind Hermione's back. Sirius noticed and smiled to himself.

"How about this," said Sirius thinking how he wanted things arranged.

Hermione let out a squeak as the couch lifted from the ground and went directly next to Sirius' couch and within arm's reach. Then Ginny was moved to sit in the middle of Harry and Hermione.

Harry had his suspicions why he had moved Ginny and Hermione and Sirius bit back a smirk.

Ginny and Harry turned a little red. They were right next to each other and it was near to impossible not to be touching.

"Continue, Arthur," said Sirius amused.

**Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away. **

Harry stiffened. Voldemort had been that close.

"**I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be." **

Mrs. Weasley was gripping Arthur's arm tight as he read.

"**A werewolf?" Harry suggested. **

"Sorry, Lupin," said Harry apologetically.

Lupin waved it off.

"**That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now." **

**They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved. **

"**Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!" **

**And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse? **

"You got to see a centaur?" asked Kingsley surprised.

Harry nodded mutely.

**To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped. **

"**Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?" **

**He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand. **

"**Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?" **

"**Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur. **

"**We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly. **

"**Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?" **

"**Erm —" **

"**A bit," said Hermione timidly. **

Charlie bit back a comment that Hermione knew _way_ more than a bit.

"Big understatement, Hermione," said Ron smirking.

Hermione blushed and Charlie tried his damndest not to glower at Ron.

"**A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight." **

Lupin and Tonks' eyes widened. "War." They said in unison, before glancing at each other and blushing.

Teddy bit back a grin, but it vanished when he thought of the war that was soon to come where he is in the past.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?" **

**Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again. **

"**Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."**

"Arthur," said Lupin quietly. "Can you repeat what Ronan said?"

Mr. Weasley did.

"Teddy," said Lupin softly. Teddy immediately stiffened. "We all don't come out of this alive do we." Lupin said it as a statement not a question.

Everyone turned to stare at the father and son exchange. A few people looked teary eyed as Teddy slowly shook his head to confirm Lupin's suspicion.

Lupin realized how hard this probably has all been for his son to go into the past and see all who have died alive and laughing care free.

"We can discuss it later," whispered Lupin, noticing how everyone was staring.

Teddy looked relieved that he didn't have to say anything now.

"Can you at least tell us how many of us die?" asked Harry quietly.

Teddy stared at his God-father a long time, before he looked around the room quietly counting.

Everyone waited fearful, holding their breath.

"Eight of you die," whispered Teddy, closing his eyes, not wanting to see the horror that appeared on everyone's faces.

Everyone looked around at the familiar faces wondering who all die in a short four years.

"_And all them are going to be my fault,_" thought Harry bitterly.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin' Ronan? Anythin' unusual?" **

"**Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright." **

"**Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?" **

**Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets." **

**A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan. **

"**Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?" **

"**Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?" **

"**Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?" **

**Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. **

"**Mars is bright tonight," he said simply. **

"Bit repetitive aren't they?" said Tonks amused trying to relieve the tension.

"**We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then." **

**Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view. **

"**Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon." **

"**Are there many of **_**them **_**in here?" asked Hermione. **

"**Oh, a fair few…Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs…they know things…jus' don' let on much." **

"**D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry. **

"**Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before." **

**They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. **

"Constant vigilance, constant v – "

"Is that all you're going to say Mad-Eye?" said Tonks annoyed as she rolled her eyes

Moody only grunted in response and few people held back their amusement.

**He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm. **

"**Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!" **

Mrs. Weasley gasped in horror. Narcissa turned worried, but hid it behind a well-worn mask.

"**You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!" **

"HE JUST LEFT YOU IN THE FOREST ALL ALONE?!" shouted Mrs. Weasley horrified.

Several people winced.

**They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them. **

"**You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione. **

"**I don't care if Malfoy has, **

"Not true," muttered Harry. He probably would have felt guilty even if it was Malfoy's entire fault.

Draco stared curiously at Harry. Did Potter just contradict himself?

**but if something's got Neville…it's our fault he's here in the first place." **

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. **

**What was going on? Where were the others? **

**At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. **

**Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks. **

A few people sighed in relief and sent annoyed glares toward the Slytherin student.

"**We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done." **

**So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak. **

"**Look —" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy. **

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. **

**It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. **

Everyone looked sullen, hoping they would never have to see this.

**Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. **

**The bush on the edge of the clearing quivered…Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood. **

Many eyes widened as they looked at Harry with horror.

Harry looked down at his feet until he felt something warm in his hand. He looked up to see Ginny biting her lip and holding onto Harry's hand frightened.

Harry was slightly amused that everyone was worried from what happened a long time ago. Harry squeezed Ginny's hand to remind her he was still there.

Ginny blushed embarrassed and tried taking her hand out of Harry's hand quickly, but Harry only gripped Ginny's hand tighter. She looked at him with surprise and then allowed herself a small smile. He smiled back.

Very few people had noticed Harry and Ginny's exchange. The twins were smirking and were looking gleeful from what they had just seen.

"Oh, bloody hell," said Sirius worried.

Mrs. Weasley reprimanded him, but Sirius ignored her.

"**AAAAAAAAAARGH!" **

**Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted — so did Fang. **

**The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry — he couldn't move for fear. **

Everyone was breathing shallowly; fearfulness taking over.

**Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. **

Harry slapped his other hand to his scar, his eyes watering slightly as his scar started to burn. It wasn't a bad as it has been, but it still hurt. Everyone was too caught up in the story except for Snape and Dumbledore to have noticed.

"Damn it, Harry, get out of there." said Sirius, on the edge of his seat; his hand gripping Harry's shoulder tightly.

"Sirius," scolded Mrs. Weasley.

This seemed to be Sirius' breaking point.

"Honestly, Molly, I am a grown adult and I would appreciate if you didn't scold me in front of my God-son." said Sirius stiffly.

Eyes around the room widened and they stared back and forth between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius.

"Then maybe you should act your age and be a better role model _for_ your God-son," said Molly stiffly.

Sirius slowly got up and Mrs. Weasley did the same.

"Harry is not a child." said Sirius impatiently.

"He's not an adult either, Black," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "He's not James!"

"I perfectly know who my God-son is, thanks Molly," said Sirius coldly.

"I'm not sure you are!" said Mrs. Weasley. "It's like you've gotten your best friend back! Unlike you, I've got Harry's best interest at heart. He needs structure and someone who is _always_ going to be there for him – "

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Sirius dangerously. "He's not your son, all he's got left is me and those damn Muggles!"

Harry had a feeling there must be more going on than Sirius swearing in the presence of children. His scar was still burning and he wished they would continue reading so it could maybe stop.

"Ah, yes," Mrs. Weasley's lips curled. "His role model in life is someone who's been locked up in Azkaban for fifteen years."

"Molly, I think that's enough," said Lupin quietly.

Mrs. Weasley's lips trembled as Arthur made her sit back down.

Harry had gotten worried seeing Sirius' chalk white face. He had been rather touched that Mrs. Weasley thought of him that greatly, but he had to side with Sirius. Ignoring the pain as best as he could, Harry slowly got up to stand next to his God-father.

"Come on, Sirius, let's sit down." Harry dragged a shaken and stiff Sirius back to the couch and sat in between Lupin and Sirius.

Ginny saw Harry give her an apologetic look, but she gave him a faint smile showing him that she understands.

Sirius slowly blinked, coming out of his stupor and put an arm around Harry's shoulder.

He shivered remembering the dreadful prison. Being an animagus had helped him keep his head, but one could never forget the horrors and helplessness that invaded your mind once you were in that cell.

Molly knew she had gone too far, but she wouldn't take any of it back. She didn't trust Black.

After a rather awkward silence Mr. Weasley decided to continue reading.

**Half blinded, he staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure. **

**The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. **

"Is that what it's always like?" asked Sirius quietly.

Harry wasn't sure if he should answer.

"Worse now," he muttered so only Lupin and Sirius could hear.

Sirius' arm tightened around Harry.

His scar was still burning, painful as ever.

**It took a minute or two to pass. **

Harry sighed in relief as the pain vanished. Where had that come from?

**When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body. **

"**Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet. **

"**Yes — thank you — what **_**was **_**that?" **

**The centaur didn't answer. **

**He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. **

**He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead. **

"**You are the Potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. **

Many eyes widened.

"H – he let you ride on his back?" asked several bewildered people.

Harry could only nod, confused at what the big deal was.

"**My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back. **

"Oh, I like him," said Luna dreamily.

Everyone looked at the young Ravenclaw in shock.

"You know him?" asked Hermione curiously, before she hiccupped.

"Mhm, we talk about the sky and creatures a lot," she said, looking at the ceiling as she twirled her useless wand.

There was another pause before Mr. Weasley continued.

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty. **

"**Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?" **

"**Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better." **

"**What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?" **

**Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice. **

"Ronan was always put in the middle," said Dumbledore sadly.

**Bane kicked his back legs in anger. **

"**For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!" **

**Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on. **

"**Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must." **

"Firenze should be careful," said Lupin worriedly, after he finished studying his friend and making sure he was okay. "He could be kicked out of the herd."

**And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. **

**Harry didn't have a clue what was going on. **

"**Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?" **

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped. **

"**Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" **

"**No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions." **

"**That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips." **

Everyone stared at the book.

"I don't know what's more shocking," said Minerva quietly. "That someone would do such a thing or that a centaur started to talk to a human."

Almost everyone nodded in agreement.

**Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight. **

"**But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?" **

"**It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?" **

"**The Philosopher's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who —" **

"**Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" **

"Voldemort," said Sirius hoarsely, before clearing his throat realizing that his mind was still on Azkaban.

Almost everyone shuddered at the name and then eyes started to widen.

"So that was Voldemort?" asked Tonks shocked.

"Sort of," muttered Harry.

**It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." **

"**Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was **_**Vol- **_**" **

"**Harry! Harry, are you all right?" **

**Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her. **

"**I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there." **

"**This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now." **

**Harry slid off his back. **

"**Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." **

"I do too," murmured Tonks and Lupin.

**He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him. **

**Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest. **

**Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking. **

"**Snape wants the stone for Voldemort…and Voldemort's waiting in the forest…and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…" **

"**Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them. **

"Fear of the name – " started Harry impatiently.

"I know, I know," snapped Ron, annoyed.

**Harry wasn't listening. **

"**Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so…Bane was furious…he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen…They must show that Voldemort's coming back…Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me…I suppose that's written in the stars as well." **

"_**Will you stop saying the name!" **_**Ron hissed. **

"**So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off…Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy." **

**Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort. **

"**Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of, with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. **

Many nodded. Dumbledore didn't quite agree.

**Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic." **

McGonagall face went pink.

**he sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over. **

**When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it: **

_**Just in case. **_

"That the end of the chapter," said Mr. Weasley who quickly flicked through the pages. "I know there are only two chapters left, but I think we need some rest," He glanced at Sirius and Molly and then at Charlie and Hermione before standing up.

Some of the teens protested, but Arthur wouldn't hear a word of it.

Ginny stayed seated and so did Harry as one by one and pairs, people went into their designated rooms.

Once they were alone, after a wink from Sirius who he had assumed was starting to get over what had happened earlier, Harry slowly got up and sat next to Ginny.

They were silent for a few moments.

"Harry, I – " Ginny's words faltered as Harry looked at her.

"What?" he whispered as he put a lock of hair behind her ear.

Ginny lost her train of thought as she got lost in his emerald eyes.

Harry couldn't believe that he had once thought Cho was pretty who was nothing compared to Ginny. He leaned forward and Ginny sucked in a shaky breath and met him half way. Their lips touched and Harry was in blissful oblivion; she was better than Butterbeer and all the Chocolate Frogs in the world. Ginny deepened the kiss and put her hands through his already untidy hair. Harry had an arm around her waist and one in her long, sweet smelling hair…

Ron was kicking himself. He should have comforted Hermione when he had the chance. Why didn't he join Harry and Ginny? Speaking of which, where was he? He got up from the bed and opened his bedroom door to the most shocking and gruesome sight in the reading room.

His best mate and little sister were _snogging_ on the couch! Bloody hell!

"OI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SISTER!?"

Harry and Ginny jumped apart and looked up to see Ron's face twisted in fury. His ears were scarlet.

Harry sighed quietly and hid his guilt.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Ginny coldly, having no problem talking back to her brother unlike Harry.

"You're too young!" protested Ron furious.

"I'm the same age as Hermione was when she snogged Krum," said Ginny hotly.

This was the wrong thing to say.

Ron spluttered, took a threatening step forward, and then stepped back; his hands clenched into fists.

"Harry, can I have word?" said Ron coldly, flicking his head to the bedroom, before disappearing beyond it.

Harry stared at the door, not ready to face Ron. He felt a warm hand on his cheek and looked back at Ginny.

"Don't you dare listen to a word my brother says, Harry Potter," said Ginny sternly.

Harry couldn't help but weakly smile. He pecked her on the cheek and got up from the couch, not looking back, knowing if he did he would go back to her.

Ginny looked at Harry's back worriedly. Ron was so protective of her! As soon as the door closed she heard shouting. She sighed, but she couldn't help but smile. She kissed Harry Potter! She walked back to her room to gush everything out to Hermione.

As soon as Harry closed the door behind him Ron had punched him. Harry stepped back, his hand to his right eye in shock. It felt as if his whole face was pulsing and every tender touch was painful.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" shouted Harry. "What was that for?"

"Stay away from my sister!" said Ron dangerously. "You'll end up hurting her in the end anyway!"

"No, I won't," argued Harry.

"What are you going to do, kiss any Gryffindor girl in sight?" said Ron, ignoring him.

"Of course not!" shouted Harry angrily.

Ron was pacing, muttering angrily under his breath. Harry watched him wearily, still holding on to his face. He couldn't believe that Ron had just given him a possible black eye.

"Promise me, you'll stay away from her." said Ron finally.

Harry looked at him and sighed.

"I – I can't promise that, Ron," said Harry softly.

Ron stared at him, bewildered, at a loss for words.

"I'm going to sleep in Charlie and Bill's room," muttered Harry and promptly left.

Harry got to Charlie and Bill's room and opened the door. Immediately there was a noise of someone frantically shuffling papers.

"Oh, it's just you, Harry," said Charlie relieved, but then _really_ looked at him. "What happened to your face?"

Bill looked up and to his shock saw Harry's eye was looking puffy and starting to turn black and blue.

Harry muttered that he had tripped, but they didn't believe him.

"You're going to tell us later, Harry," said Bill disapproving and then sighed. "Want to help?"

"With what?" asked Harry, sitting on the floor next to Charlie, Bill, and a jumble of papers.

"To prove that I didn't give Hermione or even make a love potion," said Charlie.

Harry shrugged and picked up a few. "How?" he asked.

"Look for anything that looks Slytherin," said Bill determinedly.

Harry nodded and they got to work.

-  
I promise it won't be all "lovey-dovey" in every chapter XD

Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17: Through the Trapdoor

Charlie was currently grumbling to himself about how lazy of an arse his brother was as he went to the kitchen to get some snacks for him, Bill and Harry as they looked for clues.

Bill and him had finally coaxed painfully slow out of Harry what had happened. He was happy for Ginny and Harry, but had gone somber when he said Ron had punched him for it. Why was his brother acting so weird? Could he be under the Imperius Curse? No, you can't use magic in this room.

Charlie was so absorbed in his thoughts that he bumped into someone with bushy hair in the kitchen.

"Oops, sorry," said Charlie automatically until he realized _who_ he had bumped into. "Hermione." he whispered. She was wearing a rose colored tank top and matching shorts.

Hermione had gone to the kitchen to get her and Ginny some snacks as she told her every single detail of what happened. She was happy for them. Her mood had plummeted when she bumped into the exact person she had wanted to avoid: Charlie.

She blinked her tears away and quickly looked him over. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only pajama pants that had actual moving little dragons on it.

"Look, Hermione – " started Charlie.

"I don't want to hear a word of it," she said coldly, trying to push past him. He wouldn't let her.

"Please, just listen," he started desperately.

"Go away."

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" pleaded Charlie, making Hermione flinch. He took a deep breath, not wanting to frighten her.

Hermione sighed and stepped back and crossed her arms defensively.

"Hermione, you need to understand. I would never, _ever_, do that to you. Bill, Harry – " Hermione perked up at that. " – and I are looking through the papers and chocolate to see who is framing me."

Hermione hesitated. So, Harry didn't believe his best mate? This made her determination waver. Usually, Harry was always right.

"I don't have time for this," muttered Hermione, trying to get past Charlie again.

He blocked her.

"I actually want you to keep avoiding me."

Hermione looked bewildered. Didn't he want the opposite?

"I mean, I don't _want_ you too," Charlie revised. "But it's for your safety."

Hermione looked at him confused.

Charlie took a deep breath. "Whoever is framing me wants you badly and I don't want to see you get hurt." he said softly.

Hermione could only stare.

"I'm going to find the bastard that is doing this."

Charlie took a step closer towards Hermione who remained frozen.

Soon, he was directly in front of her.

"I love you, Mione," whispered Charlie, his minty breath washing over her face.

He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips for a short second before he abruptly left.

A few minutes passed and Hermione was still standing in the kitchen, her fingers on her lips.

Facts and logic she knew, but when it came to emotions she was lost.

Night passed and soon it was morning.

Everyone started to roam toward the kitchen groggily as the smell of bacon drifted to everyone's noses.

Exclaims of shock had started when Harry came into the kitchen with a huge black eye, but he out right refused to tell anyone what happened. Sirius looked like he was ready to murder someone for _real _this time. He knew Harry had probably had abuse at the Dursley's and for him to be so casual about it right now made him angrier and worried.

Harry had sworn Bill and Charlie to secrecy.

Harry, Charlie, and Bill were up all night until dawn looking through the papers and studying the chocolate. They were starting to notice something Slytherin _was_ going on when it came to Hermione's non-existent symptoms, that the smell of the chocolate was off, and the C's" were different, but that was it for now.

Hermione kept glancing at Charlie and vice-versa all through breakfast.

Ginny was the last one to come in the kitchen.

"Morning, Harry!" said Ginny brightly, before kissing him on the cheek.

Everyone turned to stare as Harry's face started redden, but Ginny pretended not to have noticed and sat down next to him.

No one had noticed that Ron had bent his fork in anger.

The twins exchanged evil smiles.

"So, Harry," started George conversationally.

"How was the snogging last night?" ended Fred in the same tone.

Harry coughed up his water that he had just taken a sip of. Charlie patted Harry on the back, looking amused.

Ginny rolled her eyes not concerned at the question.

Sirius, Teddy, Tonks, and the twins were grinning and could barely contain their laughter.

Ginny then looked closer at Harry's face and gasped in horror.

"What happened to your face?!" said Ginny in alarm.

Harry didn't answer.

She narrowed her eyes and then turned towards Bill and Charlie.

"You two know who."

Bill, Harry, and Charlie exchanged looks. All eyes were on them.

Ginny's eyes then widened, figuring out the only person with motive. THAT GIT!

"Why that little – " started Ginny until Harry covered her mouth, giving her a pleading look.

She looked at him for a moment and then sighed in frustration. She took his hand away and held it under the table. The git was going to have some major karma.

Everyone's expressions were between amusement and curiosity.

Mrs. Weasley was looking radiant. Was Harry dating her daughter? Her smile widened.

"Congratulations, dear," said Mrs. Weasley to Harry, who blushed embarrassed.

Harry's eyes widened as he remembered what he was supposed to do last night. His private lessons with Snape!

Harry quickly glanced at him and noticed he was grumpily stabbing his scrambled eggs.

Snape seemed to have noticed and Harry quickly looked away and continued to chew on some bacon and sausage.

After breakfast everyone sat down in the same places as last night.

Ron had hoped that Hermione would have sat next to him, but she went to go by Ginny.

Harry wanted to go sit next to Ginny, but they were near the end of the book and it was going to do hell on Sirius' nerves. He gave Ginny an apologetic look, but she waved it off not offended.

"I'll read," volunteered Bill cheerfully as he picked up the book.

He cleared his throat. "**Through The Trapdoor**."

"Oh, no," moaned Molly.

**In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. **

A few people chuckled.

"I still do." muttered Harry, which was masked by the chuckles. Only Lupin and Teddy heard him.

**Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door. **

**It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-cheating spell. **

"Have those really been tested?" asked Hermione curiously.

To everyone's surprise Lupin was starting to laugh loudly. Sirius was glowering and even Minerva was trying to hide her amusement.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Well, Sirius and Ja – " Lupin was cut off by Sirius menacingly growling, which made Mrs. Weasley look frightened. Lupin only snickered.

"I'll tell you later, Harry," said Lupin who uncharacteristically winked.

Harry wondered if this was the old Lupin coming back from the Marauder days.

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk. **

Sirius chuckled roughly, still remembering what happened when him and James had tried to cheat… he shivered.

"We had to make a pot belly pig sing opera," said Sirius brightly.

Everyone turned to stare bewildered.

**Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. **

"James had managed to turn the snuffbox into gold," said Minerva quietly, who allowed herself a small smile.

**Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion. **

**Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it. **

"Blimey, Harry, you had lack of sleep and in pain while doing your exams and _still_ managed to pass?" said Tonks bewildered.

Harry looked away from the stares.

**Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. **

Ron was hopelessly wishing he had a stupid scar on his forehead just to get the sympathy from the others in the room.

**The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to. **

Harry and Hermione grunted.

**Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest. **

"**That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." **

"That's fourth year." said Kingsley amused. If she was that intelligent in her first year she would make a great addition to the Ministry once graduated from Hogwarts. He would have to remind the Minister of Magic when that happened.

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. **

"THAT'S DANGEROUS!" protested Mrs. Weasley loudly.

"Not really," said the twins, Sirius and Tonks.

Mrs. Weasley glared seemed to be mostly directed at Sirius who started to shift uncomfortably in his seat. What did that bloody woman have against him?

"**No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." **

**Harry was rubbing his forehead. **

"**I wish I knew what this **_**means**_**!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this." **

"**Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested. **

"If only curses were that simple," said Dumbledore quietly.

"**I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…" **

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot. **

Several people rolled their eyes.

"**Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down." **

Neville blushed.

Ron looked bored and seemed oblivious to pointed looks that said clearly he should apologize.

**Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. **

**When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one." **

**Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy…never…but… **

**Harry suddenly jumped to his feet. **

"I hate it when he does that." mumbled Ron and Hermione before exchanging half smiles.

Hermione quickly looked away much to Ron's disappointment.

Hermione thoughts were scrambled. Did Ron fake a love potion? No, Charlie did that, right? She held in a groan. Why did Charlie make her more confused with that kiss... she shut her thoughts down and continued to pay attention to the book.

"**Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily. **

"**I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now." **

"**Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up. **

"**Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" **

Everyone looked bewildered and Charlie nodded. He had also thought it was strange, but at the angle of how much a dragon egg was worth on the black market.

"**What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. **

"Can't stop Harry when he's on a mission," said Hermione, smiling fondly.

Harry could only grin, knowing how much that was true.

**Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl. **

"**Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?" **

"**Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off. **

"The only time Ron had manners," muttered Ginny much to Hermione's surprise.

"**No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?" **

"**Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off." **

"Probably the Hogs Head," grunted Mad-Eye. Many nodded in agreement.

**He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows. **

"**It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up." **

**Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?" **

"Start slow and work up to it," murmured Sirius approvingly.

"**Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after…so I told him…an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…**

There was a collective round of groans.

**Let's see…yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home…So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…" **

"**And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm. **

"It was as if you were talking about Quidditch." said Hermione amused.

"**Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —" **

There were more groans and several shook their heads exasperated.

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. **

"**I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! **

"Less likely." chimed the twins.

**Hey — where're yeh goin'?" **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds. **

"**We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. **

"Finally!" said Mrs. Weasley. If Dumbledore was involved then Harry, Hermione, and Ron would be alright. They must have been over dramatic like Ron and the twins were saying that Harry was being locked up and being starved in Harry's second year… Mrs. Weasley frowned. That seemed believable after what she had heard from the first book.

**"Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. **

**Where's Dumbledore's office?" **

"Harry," said Sirius as he shook his head. "You didn't know where Dumbledore was?"

Harry shook his head confused.

"That's got to be the Lily side." concluded Sirius from his unspoken observations.

"Good," said Mrs. Weasley curtly.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. What was wrong with acting like his father?

**They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him. **

"**We'll just have to —" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall. **

"**What are you three doing inside?" **

**It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books. **

Minerva started looking uncomfortable.

"**We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought. **

"**See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. **

"I had to previously deal with sixth year students who had failed to make a Polyjuice potion and in secret," explained McGonagall.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione's eyes widened and then exchanged looks as they nervously eyed the second book: _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_.

"**Why?" **

**Harry swallowed — now what? **

"**It's sort of secret," he said, **

Sirius and suprisenly Lupin groaned.

"Never say that to Minnie," said Sirius as Lupin said "Wrong move."

They exchanged brief grins and Harry couldn't help but grin with them.

Teddy was smiling sadly. Seeing his father like this was hard: laughing, care free, joking around. Teddy sighed and put an arm around his mother's shoulders and squeezed softly.

Tonks looked at Teddy, _her son_, worried. She wasn't even a mother yet and she was already having a mother's intuition. She noticed how tense he was and that his turquoise hair would occasionally have a black tint. She's never looked at him closely and realized just how good he was at keeping his emotions away from others. _"Father like son," _she thought wryly.

**but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. **

"**Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once." **

"**He's **_**gone**_**?" said Harry frantically. "**_**Now?**_**" **

"**Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time – " **

"**But this is important." **

"**Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?" **

"Yeah," chorused a few people.

"**Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, **"**Professor — it's about the Sorceror's Stone —" **

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. **

"Bloody brilliant!" yelled Sirius. "I would of never been able to do that." he then said, his tone changing to sadness.

"Do what?" asked Hermione.

"Catch Minnie off guard, of course!"

There were a few amused shakes of heads.

"**How do you know —?" she spluttered. **

"**Professor, I think — I **_**know **_— **that Sn— that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." **

**She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion. **

"**Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected." **

Hermione quietly snorted. Now that she thinks about it, it really wasn't. The chess set, the broomsticks, the riddle… those all fit into what she and her best friends were best at. Her brow furrowed. Maybe she should talk to Harry about this…

"**But Professor —" **

"**Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." **

**But they didn't. **

"Harry," admonished Mrs. Weasley and Sirius scowling, except Sirius was clearly amused and joking. Mrs. Weasley flashed Sirius another glare.

"**It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up." **

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Indeed."

"**But what can we —" **

**Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round. **

**Snape was standing there. **

"Of course," muttered Sirius before raising his voice to be heard. "Are you stalking my God-son Snivullis?"

Snape didn't answer nor would he.

"**Good afternoon," he said smoothly. **

**They stared at him. **

"**You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile. **

The twins shivered noticeably, then their feet started shaking, and soon their teeth were chattering.

"Yes?" asked Snape smoothly.

The twins squeaked comically before launching themselves behind the couch.

Everyone was trying to hold in their laughter and eventually a few snorts because of that were issuing from different sides of the room.

Snape didn't look amused, but Harry noticed that his lips twitched.

"**We were —" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say. **

"**You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?" **

**Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back. **

"**Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." **

"Merlin's pants! You didn't take any points off them?" asked an amused and bewildered Ginny.

"GINNY!"

No one paid Mrs. Weasley any attention as they started laughing.

Mrs. Weasley's glare went directly toward Sirius. He put his hand through his hair frustrated and belatedly noticed that he must have caught the habit from James all those years ago. Why did that woman treat him like Doxyeggs?

**He strode off in the direction of the staffroom. **

**Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others. **

"**Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that." **

"**Why me?" **

"**It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen **_**b **_**wrong…'" **

"Her voice isn't that high," disagreed Charlie quietly.

Everyone either turned to glare or stare at him bewildered that he spoke.

Hermione did neither. What had happened last night came directly into her mind and she was starting to have doubts and blocked the details. She looked at him curiously and pondered her options. Number one, she could pretend he doesn't exist. Number two, kiss him. Her nose scrunched up. Where did that option come from? Number three, tell him thanks for the compliment. Wait, no, she can't do that. Didn't Charlie say he would rather her ignore him for her safety? She really didn't believe that she was in _danger_, but that only left one option for her: talk to him privately and get some answers. She nodded to herself, knowing that had to be it.

Charlie was rather surprised Hermione wasn't glaring at him. She seemed to be lost in thought. He hadn't told Bill or Harry what had happened in the kitchen last night. He _knew_ Bill would hex him for telling her the three magic words and topping it off with a kiss. He didn't know if Harry was protective like that yet.

"**Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape. **

"**And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on." **

**But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper. **

"**I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" **

Hermione and Harry started nodding, but then noticing the bewildered and shocked looks coming their way they stopped and exchanged small smiles with each other before blushing.

"_They get past the enchantments, then?" _thought Sirius and Lupin surprised.

**she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!" **

**Harry and Ron went back to the common room, Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in. **

"**I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went." **

"He went to go get Flitwick?" asked Sirius incredulously.

Hermione mutely nodded.

"_Why the bloody hell would he do that? Is it a diversion?" thought Sirius rapidly._

Snape grunted. He didn't _loathe_ his students. He just disliked them. There was a difference, not a very big one, but still was.

"**Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said. **

**The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering. **

Hermione and Ron both shivered.

"What?" asked Tonks curiously.

"When his eyes are like that, that is when he makes the best speeches'," said Hermione, winking at Harry.

Harry tried to protest, but after she raised her eyebrow he started grumbling under his breath.

Hermione laughed.

"**I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first." **

"WHAT?!" shouted a few people making Harry cringe.

"**You're mad!" said Ron. **

"**You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!" **

"**SO WHAT" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?" **

**He glared at them. **

"Er – " said a few people stunned. Bill was out of breath from reading.

"I don't see how anyone can win that argument," said Tonks' faintly.

There were nods in agreement.

Teddy laughed. "He hasn't changed," he grinned. "I've heard those speeches a dozen times in my life time."

Lupin looked at him curiously. "He must be your favorite relative if you see him that much,"

Teddy blanched, but quickly hid it with a strained grin. "Of course!"

Lupin, Harry, and Tonks weren't convinced like everyone else.

"**You're right Harry," said Hermione in a small voice. **

"**I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back." **

"Very lucky," mused Lupin under his breath.

"**But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron. **

"Still does," muttered Ron, when suddenly he brightened. Maybe he should borrow the cloak again…

"**All — all three of us?" **

"Seriously, Harry?" asked many people in the room.

Harry could feel himself starting to flush.

"**Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?" **

"**Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…" **

"**But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too." **

"**Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that." **

Several mouths popped open. Even Percy looked surprised.

"Congratulations," said Sirius grinning, while Lupin nodded in approval.

Hermione could feel herself blushing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Charlie give a curt nod and that his lips were twitching almost into a smile. She was secretly pleased and instantly felt angry that she did.

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. **

**This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. **

**Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do. **

**Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed. **

"**Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning.**

"Wait, y – you're doing it that tonight?!" said Mrs. Weasley horrified, her eyes wide as she squeaked.

"Er – " said Ron slowly. "I'm still alive." He stated cheerfully.

Mrs. Weasley only glared.

**Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy — he didn't feel much like singing. **

"You're a brilliant singer in the shower, Harry," whispered Ginny into Harry's ear after she got up from her seat and sat on his lap; her eyes sparkling with mischief that only a girl could get from living with six older brothers.

Harry could feel his face getting red and everyone was looking at them amused.

Ron looked like he was a ticking time bomb that was a wand away from exploding.

Sirius barked out a laugh and Mrs. Weasley tried not to glower. Black should be disapproving that they are being disrespectful in the presence of witches and wizards.

"Ginny, dear, I don't think sitting on Harry's lap is appropriate." said Mrs. Weasley stiffly.

Ginny huffed, but didn't move. She crossed her arms in a very Mrs. Weasley fashion.

"Ginny – " warned Molly, her eyes starting to narrow.

"Molly, I think they're fine." said Mr. Weasley quietly.

She shot him a frustrated look, but dropped the subject for now.

Sirius winked at Arthur when Molly wasn't looking. He only grinned.

**He ran back down to the common room. **

"**We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —" **

"**What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom. **

"**Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. **

**Neville stared at their guilty faces. **

"**You're going out again," he said. **

"**No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?" **

There were a few chuckles.

"That's convincing, Hermione," said a straight faced Bill.

**Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep. **

"**You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble." **

"**You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important." **

**But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate. **

"**I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!" **

"_**Neville**_**, "Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —" **

"**Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!" **

"Not to _them_," said Fred and George smirking. Neville was trying hard not to blush.

"**Yes, but not to **_**us**_**," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." **

**He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight. **

"**Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" **

**Harry turned to Hermione. **

"**Do **_**something**_**," he said desperately. **

**Hermione stepped forward. **

"**Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." **

**She raised her wand.**

A few people's eyes widened and started taking frequent glances at the young witch.

"_**Petrificus Totalus!**_**" she cried, pointing it at Neville. **

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. **

Everyone turned to stare. Hermione started blushing rapidly.

**Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror. **

"**What've you done to him?" Harry whispered. **

"**It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry." **

"**We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry. **

"**You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak. **

It was quiet for a little bit.

"Well, I understand now, Hermione," said Neville amused.

Everyone just gave him bewildered looks.

"But she used the body bind curse on you!" said Mrs. Weasley taken aback. She would have to keep a closer eye on the young witch.

"They couldn't exactly tell me why," said Neville, defending his friends. "I understand."

Hermione was smiling widely that she was forgiven. She had still felt guilty about that every time she looked at him. Hermione _was_ a little wary of how Mrs. Weasley was looking at her as if she had turned into Fred or George.

"Thanks, Neville," said Hermione, jumping up from her seat to give him a quick hug.

Neville looked taken aback at first, but then smiled, glad that he had Hermione for a friend.

Charlie tried not to glower, but Bill could see his eye was twitching.

**But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top. **

"**Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, **

"Yes!" shouted the twins and Tonks. Sirius held back with difficulty.

**but Harry shook his head. **

"That was very considerate of you, Harry," said Sirius seriously.

A few people gave him bewildered looks and only Harry and Lupin noticed that Sirius' lips were twitching and trying not laugh. His black eyes seemed to be twinkling.

Mrs. Weasley was smiling smugly that Sirius was finally starting to act like a guardian.

**As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamp like eyes on them, but didn't do anything. **

**They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip. **

Sirius and Tonks groaned.

"**Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?" **

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them. **

"**Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen." **

**Harry had a sudden idea. **

"**Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." **

Everyone turned to look at Harry in shock.

"I – I don't think that's going to work," said Sirius faintly. Maybe Harry _did_ have the makings of a Marauder.

"It's not going to work!" cried the twins.

"Sickle?" asked Teddy nonchalant.

"Deal." chimed the twins.

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs. **

"**So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir." **

The twins started grumbling to themselves and handed a smug Teddy Lupin the money.

"Knowing the future has its perks," said Teddy, patting his pocket.

The twins' eyes widened, forgetting momentarily that Teddy was, indeed, from the future.

"Cheater!"

Teddy only laughed, his brown eyes twinkling.

Sirius and Lupin snorted.

"**I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight." **

"**I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." **

**And he scooted off. **

"Brilliant!" said Sirius, deciding that he was not going to act like Mrs. Weasley was trying to mold him to be.

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes.

Harry only grinned.

"_**Brilliant**_**, Harry!" whispered Ron. **

**A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar. **

"**Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy." **

**Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two. **

"**If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now." **

"Don't be stupid," said several people, rolling their eyes.

"**Don't be stupid," said Ron. **

"**We're coming," said Hermione. **

**Harry pushed the door open. **

**As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them. **

"**What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered. **

"**Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there." **

"**It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes…" **

**He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep. **

"**Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. **

"**I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?" **

Several people snorted.

"Aren't you a gentleman," chimed the twins smirking.

Ron's ears went scarlet.

"**No, I don't!" **

"**All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open. **

"**What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously. **

"**Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." **

**Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself. **

"Of course you want to go first," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"**You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep." **

**Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep. **

**Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom. **

**He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?" **

"**Right," said Ron. **

"**See you in a minute, I hope…" **

"That's comforting." commented Charlie, half smiling.

Bill chuckled and Hermione was surprised that Harry also chuckled. Did that mean Harry wasn't mad at Charlie?

**And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down **

"There could be spikes at the bottom," fretted Mrs. Weasley as she wringed her hands over and over.

Arthur put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

**and FLUMP. **

**With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant. **

"**It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!" **

**Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry. **

"**What's this stuff?" were his first words. **

"**Dunno, some sort of plant thing. **

Neville perked up at this.

**I suppose it's here to break the fall. **

**Come on, Hermione!" **

**The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side. **

"**We must be miles under the school," she said. **

"**Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron. **

"_**Lucky**_**!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!" **

Everyone was at the edge of their seats as they held their breath.

**She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. **

"It's Devils Snare," said Neville at once in horror.

Sirius paled. Though Herbology hadn't been his favorite subject he still managed to scrape by. He knew what that was.

**As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. **

Harry grabbed his throat with the hand that wasn't around Ginny's waist as he felt like the air was getting choked out of him. It was like a snake wrapping around his legs, arms, and neck...

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. **

Harry started coughing and waved it off to anyone who looked at him with concern.

"**Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!" **

"**Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. **

"**Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione. **

"**Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest. **

Sirius tightened his grip around Harry.

Ginny was still on Harry's lap and had her arms tightly around his neck. Harry found this all amusing through the pain he was feeling. Was his ribs going to break?

"**Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare…what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp." **

"**So light a fire!" Harry choked. **

"**Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands. **

Everyone gave the young witch bewildered looks.

"Are you a witch or not?!" inquire several people making Hermione blush.

"**HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" **

There were a few half hearted chuckles.

"**Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip **

Harry let out a sigh of relief as he felt the constricting pressure went away. Why was this happening to him?

**as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free. **

"**Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face. **

"**Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis **— **'there's no wood,' **_**honestly**_**." **

"**This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. "**

"It's odd how calm you are, Harry," said Luna absentmindedly as she continued to twirl her wand in formations that wouldn't work.

There were a few hesitant murmurs of agreement.

**All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough… **

Charlie groaned, ignoring the looks he was getting. If they met a dragon they would need a broomstick to get away or know the spell to injure the eye of the dragon.

"**Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. **

**Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. **

"**Do you think it's a ghost?" **

"**I don't know…sounds like wings to me." **

"**There's light ahead — I can see something moving." **

**They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door. **

"**Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron. **

"Probably." chorused a few people.

"**Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if ****they all swooped down at once…well, there's no other choice…I'll run."**

**He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. **

**The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm. **

"**Now what?" said Ron. **

"**These birds…they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione. **

**They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering —**_**glittering**_**? **

"**They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're **_**keys**_**! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…" he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "…yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!" **

"**But there are **_**hundreds **_**of them!" **

**Ron examined the lock on the door. **

"**We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle." **

**They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one. **

**Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. **

**He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. **

**After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole. **

"How the bloody hell do you see a key like that in the midsts of a thousand?" said Sirius bewildered.

"Black," scolded Molly.

"Prewett," countered Sirius moodily.

Mrs. Weasley face went red and Arthur was quick to calm the situation down.

"**That one!" he called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side." **

**Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom. **

The twins started snickering making Ron give them a dirty look.

"**We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!" **

"You should be Quidditch captain," said Bill approvingly.

"He was." muttered Teddy quietly, but everyone heard him anyway.

"Congrats, Harry," said Sirius, clapping his God-son on the back.

Harry was still in shock.

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. **

"The noise could tell the intruder where you are," scolded Moody.

"That was very wrong you three, very wrong," said Tonks, morphing herself to look like Mad-Eye as she shook a finger sternly.

No one could hold back a laugh.

Moody's eyes zoomed over to the young witch who morphed back to her usual self.

Tonks was snorting with laughter.

**They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice. **

"**Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. **

**The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. **

**They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, **

Everyone looked at the book in astonishment. Chessboard?

**behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces. **

"**Now what do we do?" Harry whispered. **

"**It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room." **

**Behind the white pieces they could see another door. **

"**How?" said Hermione nervously. **

"**I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen." **

**He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron. **

"**Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two. **

"**This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…" **

**Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —" **

"**We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do." **

"**Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle." **

"**What about you?" **

"A knight," chimed all the Weasley's.

Ron hid his surprise.

"**I'm going to be a knight," said Ron. **

**The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took. **

"**White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes…look…" **

**A white pawn had moved forward two squares. **

**Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost? **

"**Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right." **

**Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. **

**The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown. **

Mrs. Weasley let out a squeak in horror.

"**Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on." **

**Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones. **

"**We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…" **

**The white queen turned her blank face toward him. **

"**Yes…" said Ron softly, "It's the only way…I've got to be taken." **

"NO!" shouted the majority of the Weasley's.

Ron hid his surprise again. Did they really care for him that much? Ron was soaking in the attention.

"**NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted. **

"**That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!" **

"**But —" **

"**Do you want to stop Snape or not?" **

"**Ron —" **

"**Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" **

**There was no alternative. **

"**Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won." **

**He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor — **

A few people gasped in horror.

Mrs. Weasley got up and ran to her son to hug him tightly.

"Mum, geroff – geroff – "

Mrs. Weasley sniffled and gave him one last hug before sitting back down.

Ron was rather hoping for Hermione would go hug him, but didn't glance at him. Just at the book, waiting patiently for what she didn't know.

"Oh, Ronnie, were you okay?" said the twins smirking.

The twins were rather shifty when Ron gave them a strange calculating glare.

**Hermione screamed but stayed on her square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out. **

**Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. **

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway. **

"You just left him there!?" shouted Molly distraught.

Ron was also looking disappointed.

"**What if he's —?" **

"**He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?" **

"**We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's." **

**They had reached another door. **

"**All right?" Harry whispered. **

"**Go on." **

**Harry pushed it open. **

**A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. **

**Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. **

Bill, Charlie, and Lupin's eyebrows all scrunched up as they started thinking. Why is the troll significant?

"**I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe." **

**He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line. **

"**Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?" **

Snape smirked confidently. They shouldn't be able to get past his. You had to get past with logic, not stupidity.

**They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped. **

"**Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it: **

_**Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,  
Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,  
One among us seven will let you move ahead,  
Another will transport the drinker back instead,  
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,  
Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.  
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,  
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:  
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide  
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;  
Second, different are those who stand at either end,  
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;  
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,  
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;  
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right  
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.**_

"Very poetic, Severus," said Minerva, snickering.

Everyone gave the professor bewildered looks, but all couldn't help chuckle seeing the priceless look on the Potions Professor's face.

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing. **

"_**Brilliant**_**," said Hermione. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever." **

There were a few nods in agreement.

"**But so will we, won't we?" **

"You have Hermione Merlin Granger there, of course you won't," said Ron smugly, only Charlie and Bill noticing he was directing the smugness at Charlie.

Hermione blushed from the compliment.

"**Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple." **

"**But how do we know which to drink?" **

"**Give me a minute." **

**Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands. **

"**Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."**

Severus couldn't stop his mouth from falling open until he quickly closed it.

"Five minutes tops, I believe," said Harry amused.

Hermione was getting sick of blushing all the time.

**Harry looked at the tiny bottle. **

"**There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow." **

**They looked at each other. **

"**Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" **

**Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line. **

"**You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really." **

"**But Harry — what if You-Know-Who's with him?" **

"**Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again." **

Sirius and Lupin groaned. "You aren't supposed to think like that, Harry," they both said.

Harry shrugged.

**Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.**

"Aww," cooed the twins, making fake kissing noises at them.

Ginny sent them a glare, which Harry didn't see, making the twins immediately go wary. They didn't want to get hit by Ginny's favorite hex after the books.

Ginny looked smug.

"_**Hermione!" **_

"**Harry — you're a great wizard, you know." **

"**I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him. **

"**Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry —**_**be careful! **_**" **

"**You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?" **

"**Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered. **

"**It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously. **

"**No — but it's like ice." **

A few people shivered.

"**Quick, go, before it wears off." **

**"Good luck — take care." **

"**GO!" **

**Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. **

**Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames. **

"**Here I come," he said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp. **

**It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. **

Harry shivered as if someone dropped ice down his back .

**He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire — then he was on the other side, in the last chamber. **

**There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"WHAT?!" shouted many, bewildered.

"That's the end of the chapter." said Bill, marking the page.

"Anyone wants to have a sn – "

"Just bloody read!" shouted almost everyone.

Bill jumped and quickly handed the book to Lupin.

"**The Man with Two Faces**,"

Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18: The Man With Two-Faces

"**The Man with Two faces." **read Bill quickly.

**It was Quirrell. **

A few people's mouths turned into "O's" as they stared at the book shocked.

Lupin and Ginny started figuring out _why _Hermione and Harry would always exchange looks and looked mad when ever Quirrell was mentioned.

"Ah, that explains a lot," said Sirius faintly.

"_**You!" **_**gasped Harry. **

**Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. **

A few people raised their eyebrows. It was one thing for him to be smiling, quite another that he wasn't twitching.

"**Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter." **

"He was faking the stutter?" said Sirius amazed.

"**But I thought — Snape —" **

"**Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. **

Some people's lips twitched, but they were too tense to laugh.

**Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" **

"It _is _clever," admitted Kingsley.

There were a few nods in agreement.

**Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't. **

"**But Snape tried to kill me!" **

"**No, no, no. **_**I **_**tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. **

Snape looked smug, but everyone was too engrossed in the story to notice or care.

**Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you." **

"Thanks," muttered Harry.

It was so quiet in the room that everyone heard. Snape hid his surprise.

"**Snape was trying to **_**save **_**me?" **

"**Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he **_**did **_**make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." **

"Well at least we know that's not true," pointed out George cheerfully.

"Or perhaps he is a ghost." said Fred seriously.

"Yes, that would explain a lot," said George, nodding thoughtfully.

A few people smiled or chuckled and Harry was glad that the twins were here to diffuse the tension.

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry. **

Harry suddenly felt like he was trapped in a vice. His limbs were already getting stiff.

"Wandless magic?" inquired Tonks curiously.

"**You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." **

"_**You **_**let the troll in?" **

"**Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? **

**Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. **

"Damn," said Sirius quietly.

Lupin faintly smiled.

"**Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror." **

**It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised. **

Almost everyone raised their eyebrows.

"What's the mirror doing there?" asked Lupin bewildered.

"**This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…" **

**All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror. **

Sirius groaned. "Can't you ever think about yourself for once?"

Harry softly chuckled along with Hermione and Ginny. He was, however, still trapped in a vice. Weren't spells not allowed in this room?

"**I saw you and Snape in the forest —" he blurted out. **

"Good, good, keep him distracted." said Moody approvingly.

"**Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…" **

"Why didn't he say the Dark Lord?" asked Malfoy curiously. Despite himself, he got hooked into the story. Well, a life story.

"I believe he was very new to the circle," said Snape smoothly. "He would had been punished greatly if he wasn't needed."

**Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it. **

"**I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?" **

**Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He **_**had **_**to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror. **

Sirius groaned again and his grip on his God-son's shoulders tightened.

"**But Snape always seemed to hate me so much." **

"**Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. **

Lupin, Snape, and Sirius grimaced.

**But he never wanted you **_**dead**_**." **

"**But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you…" **

**For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face. **

"**Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak —" **

"He was there in the classroom?!" asked the majority of the room as they gasped.

Harry wanted to sink into the sofa and disappear, but he was still trapped in a grip.

"How did You-Know-Who enter Hogwarts?!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore simply popped a lemon drop into his mouth much to her irritation.

"**You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped. **

"**He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. **

"They are not ridiculous!" exclaimed Hermione outraged.

Ron casually got up and went to sit next to Hermione. He put an arm around her comfortingly.

Charlie's jaw tightened and Bill put a hand on his brother's shoulder to caution him.

**Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. **

**"He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…" **

**Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley — how could he have been so stupid? **

"You're not stupid, Harry," said Ginny tensely. "Majority of great wizards wouldn't have been able to figure it out."

Harry tried to nod, but found that he couldn't so he said: "I guess."

**He'd **_**seen **_**Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. **

**Quirrell cursed under his breath. **

"**I don't understand…is the Stone **_**inside **_**the mirror? Should I break it?" **

"That would have made things easier." said Harry, now that he thought about it.

**Harry's mind was racing. **

**What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it — which means I'll see where it's hidden!**

"Excellent, Harry," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling from what those could see. "But not quite."

**But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to? **

**He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. **

Harry let out a soft groan.

Ginny gave him a confused look, but Harry shook his head.

**He was still talking to himself. **

"**What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!" **

**And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself. **

"**Use the boy…Use the boy…" **

"HE'S IN THE BLOODY ROOM?!" shouted just about everyone.

Mrs. Weasley was too shocked to reprimand anyone for language.

**Quirrell rounded on Harry. **

"**Yes — Potter — come here." **

**He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. **

Harry sighed in relief as the vice-like grip vanished. Was the book affecting him in real life? Harry's eyes widened in horror as he thought back to all the strange pains he's been feeling. He would have to tell someone and soon. But who?

**Harry got slowly to his feet. **

"**Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." **

**Harry walked toward him. **

_**I must lie**_**, he thought desperately**_**. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all. **_

"And you're a horrible liar, Harry," groaned Ginny.

**Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. **

**He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again. **

**He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. **

"Where's Lily and James?" asked Lupin surprised.

**It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. **

**Somehow — incredibly — **_**he'd gotten the Stone. **_

The majority of the room had raised their eyebrows bewildered.

"Wha – "

"I'm sure it will be explained," assured Dumbledore.

"**Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?" **

**Harry screwed up his courage. **

"**I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor." **

**Quirrell cursed again. **

"**Get out of the way," he said. **

**As Harry moved aside, he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it? **

"No!" shouted everyone making Harry jump. He had the strange feeling to laugh.

**But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips. **

"**He lies…He lies…" **

"Merlin's pants," whimpered Hermione. Everyone glanced at the witch that usually didn't curse. Ron tightened his grip around her shoulders. Bill and Charlie saw Ron shoot them a smug look. Charlie was restraining himself from tackling his brother which surprised him. He was usually a calm person.

"**Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?" **

**The high voice spoke again. **

"**Let me speak to him…face-to-face…" **

No one spoke as they stared at Lupin who was trying to stay calm.

"**Master, you are not strong enough!" **

"**I have strength enough…for this…" **

**Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. **

Ginny felt Harry suddenly go tense. She shot him a worried look, but he was expressionless.

**Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? **

The same question was bombarding into everyone else's mind.

**The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot. **

**Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. **

"Merlin," breathed Bill and Charlie.

Upon everyone's faces was shock and horror.

Mrs. Weasley squeaked and hid herself in the crook of Mr. Weasley's arm.

Ginny tightened her grip on Harry's neck and he seemed to not mind. It felt more real to her since Lupin was right next to her and Harry. Harry looked peaky, but otherwise he _looked_ calm.

"**Harry Potter…" it whispered. **

**Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. **

"**See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks…you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?" **

**So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward. **

Much to Ginny's surprise Harry suddenly relaxed. What was going on with him?

"**Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…They died begging me for mercy…" **

Lupin and Sirius let out curt growls.

"**LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly. **

**Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling. **

A few people shivered.

"**How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery…Yes, boy, your parents were brave…I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight…but your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you…**

Harry started to pale. He remembered seeing her in the graveyard.

**Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain." **

"**NEVER!" **

**Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; **

Harry gasped and suddenly let out a low moan.

"Harry?" asked Ginny worriedly.

Lupin stopped reading to study Harry. Harry got up with both hands clutching his scar. He muttered "Bathroom" and started to walk towards the kitchen.

Ginny stopped him, not used to these events.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized why Harry was acting this way.

"He can't be here, right, Harry?" asked Hermione, shrugging off Ron's arm to go stand with Harry.

"Who?" asked Sirius stunned.

Hermione just gave him a look.

Everyone looked closer at Harry. He was starting to sweat and his eyes were screwed up in pain.

"Lupin, keep reading," said Harry through gritted teeth.

"But, Harry, you need – "

"Just read," grunted Harry. "Please."

"But – "

"I'll explain later,"

Lupin looked torn, but for Harry's sake kept reading while shooting side way glances.

**he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. **

**The pain in his head lessened **

Harry sighed in relief, but moved away from everyone to lean against a wall.

"Harry, want to explain?" asked Sirius.

"After this part." said Harry, his face not giving away anything.

Ginny and Hermione moved to where Harry was but stayed apart a couple of feet.

— **he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers — they were blistering before his eyes. **

"What happened?" asked Minerva confused. Not remembering hearing about this part.

"**Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck — **

**Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, **

Harry suddenly fell, but he blindly caught himself in time with his hands. He hissed in a breath, his hands shooting back to his forehead as he stayed on the ground. His hands were clenched into fists.

Ginny was at a loss of what to do. She took a deep breath and went by Harry and let her finger make pretend shapes on Harry's arm, stomach, hands; just hoping she was helping.

Harry could feel past the pain that someone was touching him. He bit back a comment and peeked through his fingers, his eyes watering. Why didn't Lupin keep reading? It was Ginny touching him and physically he still hurt, but he could remove himself from the pain like he has done in the past by focusing on something else. Like Ginny.

Lupin cleared his throat and kept reading not thinking of any explanation what was going on with Harry. He glanced at Teddy who's brow was furrowed as he studied his God-father.

**yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony. **

"**Master, I cannot hold him — my hands — my hands!" **

**And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms — Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny. **

Harry started coughing loudly and breathed in a mouthful of fresh air.

"**Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort. **

"No, no, no," chanted Mrs. Weasley to herself.

**Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face — **

"**AAAARGH!" **

**Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain — his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse. **

There were more faces of shock who stared at Harry but they instantly changed to worry as Harry hissed in another breath.

Ginny started humming a random tune under her breath that only Harry and Hermione could hear.

Harry allowed himself a small smile for a quick second before he went back to controlling the pain.

**Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. **

**Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off — the pain in Harry's head was building — he couldn't see — **

Harry started breathing faster as the pain, too, built in his head.

**he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!" **

**He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down…down…down… **

Harry stopped moving and his hands went limp to his side.

"Harry?!" said Ginny in alarm.

"Continue reading, Remus," said Dumbledore grimly.

Lupin shot another worried look to Harry and resumed.

Sirius hadn't taken his eyes off of Harry since he had gotten up.

**Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! **

"I get the part of wanting him to kill you, but you lost me at the snitch," said Fred. His twin nodded in agreement. They were worried about Harry, but Dumbledore seemed calm.

**He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy. **

**He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange. **

**He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him. **

Harry suddenly woke up, a light sheen of sweat on his face. He sighed relieved and scooted backwards to lean against the wall. Ginny followed him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Harry, want to - ?" started Sirius frustrated.

"After the book, Snuffles," said Harry calmly.

There were a few curious glances at the nickname, but Sirius only sighed worriedly and nodded.

"**Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore. **

**Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick —" **

"**Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone." **

"**Then who does? Sir, I —" **

"**Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out." **

A few people chuckled, glad that the tension was almost gone and having difficulty imagining Madam Pomfrey throwing out the Headmaster.

**Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. **

**He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop. **

"**Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. **

"The rumors were a bit off, though," admitted Neville.

**I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. **

"So that's what happened to it!" said Ginny laughing as Mrs. Weasley scolded the twins.

"Thanks for that, by the way," said Harry before he winked.

The twins grinned.

**No doubt they thought it would amuse you. **

"That we did." they chorused.

**Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it." **

"Aw," pouted the twins.

A few people chuckled.

"**How long have I been in here?" **

"**Three days. **

Harry started thinking deeply as he absentmindedly brushed through Ginny's hair with his fingers. Three days. He had only passed out for what seemed to be 20 seconds or when Lupin finally decided to read… Harry's eyes widened. His symptoms were related to what someone read. Harry's mind quickly jumped to last summer before he shivered. Did that mean he would have to endure the Unforgivable Curse, again? Harry clenched the fist that wasn't in Ginny's hair. Why was this happening?

**Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried." **

"**But sir, the Stone —"**

"Can't you worry about yourself for one bloody moment?!" said Sirius annoyed.

Those who knew Harry only smirked.

"**I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say." **

"Doesn't matter." muttered Mrs. Weasley. For once, Sirius agreed with her.

"**You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" **

"**We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you." **

"**It was **_**you**_**." **

"**I feared I might be too late." **

"**You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer –" **

"**Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had.**

"There is seven books everyone." said Harry, pointing out the obvious in which people have forgotten.

**As for the Stone, it has been destroyed." **

"**Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —" **

"**Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You **_**did **_**do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."**

"Professor McGonagall and I went to their funeral just last month," said Dumbledore. "Wonderful ceremony, but took seven hours to go through all of their life."

A few people shot the Headmaster bewildered looks.

"**But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?" **

"**They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." **

**Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face. **

"**To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, **_**very **_**long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." **

A few nodded their heads in agreement.

**Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling. **

"**Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking…sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who —" **

"**Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself." **

"True," chimed the small amount of people that used _his_ name on a daily basis.

"**Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?" **

"**No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share…not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. **

Malfoy paled a little bit. But he, surely, would be treated better as a Deatheater then as an enemy, right?

Narcissa shivered.

**Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power." **

**Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. **

Harry flinched.

**Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me…things I want to know the truth about…" **

"**The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie." **

"You're twisting the truth." accused Harry under his breath. "And he knows everything."

Ginny looked shocked, but quickly hid it. She was sure she was the only one to hear Harry's rambling besides, perhaps, Hermione, who was a few feet away. She noticed that Hermione would sometimes glance at Charlie, which she would grill her later for that.

"**Well…Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?" **

**Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time. **

"**Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day…put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older…I know you hate to hear this…when you are ready, you will know." **

Dumbledore sighed sadly, knowing the time was coming soon.

**And Harry knew it would be no good to argue. **

"**But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?" **

"**Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good." **

Harry sighed. He still didn't understand why _love_ was so important and that it could conquer everything else that stood in its path.

**Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. **

**When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?" **

"**Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things…your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here." **

"You forgot the pranks, Headmaster," said Sirius smirking.

Dumbledore merely chuckled.

"You were a prankster?" asked the twins surprised.

"Yes, you see – "

"That's quite enough, Sirius," said Mrs. Weasley coldly.

Sirius scowled, but nodded. He quickly winked at the twins when their mother wasn't looking. The twins grinned.

"**And there's something else…" **

"**Fire away." **

"**Quirrell said Snape —" **

"_**Professor **_**Snape, Harry." **

"**Yes, him — **

A few people chuckled.

**Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?" **

"**Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive." **

"**What?" **

"**He saved his life." **

"What?" asked several people shocked.

Snape glowered at the Headmaster. Bloody hoping he didn't tell Potter.

"_**What**_**?" **

"**Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt…I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…" **

Snape wanted to sigh in relief. Potter didn't know the full story. Perhaps he should…? No, what a stupid thought. Potter would always believe his father was a saint.

**Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped. **

"**And sir, there's one more thing…" **

"**Just the one?" **

"**How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?" **

"Finally." muttered Lupin.

"**Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. **

A few people laughed at that.

**You see, only one who wanted to **_**find **_**the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. **

"That _was_ rather clever, sir," said Teddy grinning.

Dumbledore chuckled.

**My brain surprises even me sometimes…Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one,**

Shudders went around the room. There was only a one in a thousand chance of finding that dreaded flavor.

**and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them — but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?" **

**He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!" **

"They're actually not that bad." commented Charlie, only talking to Dumbledore so he could ignore the glares.

Dumbledore chuckled and nodded.

**Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict. **.

There were a few nods in agreement.

"**Just five minutes," Harry pleaded. **

"It's not going work." sung the twins and Sirius.

"**Absolutely not." **

They looked smug.

"**You let Professor Dumbledore in…" **

"**Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need **_**rest**_**." **

"**I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey…" **

"Still not going to work!" sang the twins and Sirius louder than before.

Lupin allowed himself a smile before he continued reading.

"**Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes **_**only**_**."**

The twins and Sirius' mouths popped open in astonishment. They were looked down at Harry as if he had grown an extra head.

Harry's face started to redden and people could only chuckle in amusement.

**And she let Ron and Hermione in. **

"_**Harry!" **_

**Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore. **

Ginny looked at Harry worriedly, but he only shrugged and smiled.

This only frustrated Ginny more because she knew Harry was so good at hiding his emotions.

"**Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to — Dumbledore was so worried —" **

"**The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What **_**really **_**happened?" **

**It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud. **

"You're a very exciting story teller." explained Hermione to no one in particular.

"**So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to **_**die**_**?" **

"**That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that — what was it? — 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'" **

"**I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was. **

"RON!" shouted Mrs. Weasley disapprovingly.

Dumbledore merely nodded. "Indeed."

Mrs. Weasley looked taken aback.

"**So what happened to you two?" said Harry. **

"**Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor." **

"**D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?" **

"He better have not." growled Sirius, Lupin and Mrs. Weasley.

Dumbledore was studying his nails.

Harry was looking bewildered. This happened five years ago for Merlin's sake!

"_**Well**_**, " Hermione exploded, "if he did — I mean to say that's terrible — you could have been killed." **

A few swift glares were directed toward the Headmaster.

"**No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could…" **

There was a shocked silence as many thought that Harry had gone bonkers.

"This happened five years ago!" exploded Harry. "And I still agree with what I said." added Harry more calmly.

More bewildered looks were sent toward the young wizard.

Harry shrugged unconcerned and realized he had stopped running his fingers through Ginny's hair.

Ginny smiled when Harry resumed running his thin fingers through her long hair. She sighed content.

"**Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course — you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you —but the food'll be good." **

Harry frowned.

The twins noticed and rolled their eyes. "You're more obsessed than we are, Harry,"

"I should have been there…" mused Harry guiltily.

"You had just stopped Voldemort's – " the twins faltered over Voldemort's name, but looked proud that they did. There was a collective shudder around the room.

" – return, Harry." they continued as they shook their heads.

"Even that's more important than Quidditch." added Charlie, giving Harry a rueful smile.

Harry chuckled and everyone wondered why Harry Potter was getting along with the cheating Weasley.

**At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. **

"**You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly. **

"WHAT!?" bellowed the twins and Sirius in shock.

**After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal. **

"**I want to go to the feast," he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many candy boxes. "I can, can't I?" **

"**Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. **

There was a unanimous round of chuckles around the room.

"**And you have another visitor." **

"**Oh, good," said Harry. "Who is it?" **

**Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst into tears. **

"**It's — all — my — ruddy — fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! **

A few people snorted at the last remark.

**I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!" **

"**Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him." **

"**Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!" **

"**VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. **

"You could have given him a heart attack, Harry," reprimanded Mrs. Weasley.

Harry looked embarrassed, but Sirius looked irritated.

"If he wants to say the name, then so be it," said Sirius with conviction.

"Now, listen here – "

"I am Harry's guardian, Molly," said Sirius coldly. "I can decide what's best for Harry."

Mrs. Weasley looked outraged. "Then, clearly, you're not doing your job right!"

Sirius' face turned red. "Now, wait a second, Moll – "

"Stop it," said Harry desperately, which made them stop arguing and just glower.

Harry squeezed Ginny's hand and brought both of them up from the ground.

"Mrs. Weasley, I appreciate everything you have done for me, but Sirius _is_ my only remaining relative I have and he was closest to my dad."

No one bothered to mention the Muggle relatives.

"And Sirius," said Lupin quietly. "You're not the only one who cares about Harry, but I do agree, Molly, with Harry."

"Well," huffed Mrs. Weasley. "It seems I am out numbered. I – I'll just go ahead and start preparing dinner unless there is any more dangerous adventures, Harry, dear?"

Harry shook his head and she promptly left.

There was an awkward silence before Lupin continued to read.

"**I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads…" **

**Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present." **

"**It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously,** **and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle. **

"**Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'course, he shoulda sacked me instead — anyway, got yeh this…" **

**It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father. **

"I did wonder about that, when I received Hagrid's letter." said Lupin, smiling.

Sirius had loads of pictures, but he was in Azkaban. How could he have been so stupid? Harry could have lived with him instead of those bloody Muggles a –

"Sirius, you're muttering," commented Tonks curiously.

Sirius closed his mouth and patted the seat in between him and Lupin for Harry to sit.

Harry walked over and sat with Ginny on his lap.

"**Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos…knew yeh didn' have any…d'yeh like it?" **

**Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood. **

**Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last check-up, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. **

**When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, **

"That would get annoying." said Bill, rolling his eyes.

Harry felt it may be rude to agree, but nodded anyway.

"Your children, Harry, including myself, are always – " Teddy stopped abruptly, not wanting to give away the future.

Everyone stared at him curiously, but he just shook his head.

Teddy had also stopped talking because he swore he saw movement on the other side of the room where the door usually is. It had to be his imagination, right?

**and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him. Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away. **

"**Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… **

Minerva started muttering under her breath that Albus was encouraging them to forget what they already learned.

"**Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two." **

**A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight. **

"**Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account." **

**The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. **

"**Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… **

"**First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley…" **

**Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. **

A few people laughed, but it slowly faded because of the weird glare that was being directed toward them by the red-head. It made several people uneasy.

"…**for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." **

**Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. **

**Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!" **

Percy blushed and Ron looked surprised. He didn't hear that.

**At last there was silence again. **

"**Second — to Miss Hermione Granger…for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, **

"Literally." muttered Charlie.

**I award Gryffindor house fifty points." **

**Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. **

"Did not!" protested Hermione.

**Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were a hundred points up. **

"**Third — to Mr. Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "…for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points." **

**The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point. **

**Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent. **

"**There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. **

Lupin nodded hesitantly. He didn't have that sort of courage back at Hogwarts. He didn't encourage his friends' behaviors, but he didn't put a stop to them either.

Sirius gave him a side-way look and shook his head, already knowing what was going on in his friend's head.

Lupin gave him a weak smile, but didn't respond.

**I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." **

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him. **

"**Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, **

"**We need a little change of decoration." **

"It was rather unfair, Professor," said Harry thoughtfully as he stared away from people.

A few people gave him surprised looks, especially all those who were or are in Slytherin house.

**He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. **

**He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts. **

**It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls…he would never, ever forget tonight. **

**Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too.**

"Usually everyone does." said Mr. Weasley, smiling.

**It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life. **

**And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); **

Almost half the room nodded sadly and Minerva couldn't help but smile amused.

**Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. **

**It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. **

"**You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you — I'll send you an owl." **

"**Thanks," said Harry, "I'll need something to look forward to." **

Harry grimaced.

**People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called: **

"**Bye, Harry!" **

"**See you, Potter!" **

"**Still famous," said Ron, grinning at him. **

"**Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry. **

"It is nice to be unwanted," said Harry absentmindedly.

He realized he was receiving the biggest bewildered looks yet.

"I mean, it's nice not being recognized," clarified Harry quickly.

**He, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. "There he is, Mum, there he is, look!" **

Ginny was starting to blush, but Harry just squeezed her waist and looked at her with amusement. He instantly felt guilty, thinking of Ron, but tried to ignore it.

Ron looked ready to punch Harry in the face again. He was sitting at the edge of his seat looking murderous. Harry and Ginny ignored him.

**It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron. **

"**Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see —" **

Ginny cheeks started turning pink, which, Harry thought with surprise, made her look even prettier.

A few people chuckled and Ginny hid her face in Harry's shoulder.

"**Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point." **

**Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them. **

"**Busy year?" she said. **

"**Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley." **

"**Oh, it was nothing, dear." **

"**Ready, are you?" **

**It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still moustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry. **

"**You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs. Weasley. **

"**In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away. **

**Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione. **

"**See you over the summer, then." **

"**Hope you have — Er — a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant. **

Hermione nodded.

"**Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face.**

"_**They **_**don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…"**

A few people laughed and a few commented on Harry's smart thinking as Lupin closed the book.

"So," said Sirius after the laughter and talking died down. "Why were you in pain, Harry?"

It was silent as all eyes turned toward Harry.

He put a hand through his messy hair and sighed.

"Can I speak with Professor Snape?" asked Harry calmly.

A few people furrowed their eyebrows confused.

Snape looked surprised to hear his name.

Snape gave a curt nod and got up. Snape followed Harry into the Meeting Room and were followed by curious eyes after them.

Harry sat down and looked much older than he should be for a teenager.

Harry was unsure how to start.

"What do you want?" grunted Snape.

"It's not what I want," said Harry carefully. "It's what I need."

Snape just looked at him.

"When we've been reading that book – " Snape noticed Potter didn't say _his life_. How strange.

" – Every time the Harry Potter in the book felt a physical pain, I would feel it." said Harry, not sure if he was saying this right.

"That was five years ago, Mr. Potter," said Snape annoyed and swiftly got up from his seat.

"No!" said Harry panicky. Snape stopped. Potter sounded scared. He slowly turned and stared blankly at Harry.

"I – I've been feeling everything as people read. When I had collapsed on the floor – " Snape tried not to look surprised. He had thought that Potter was trying to be an actor. "It was because the Harry Potter in the book was feeling the exact same thing. D – Do you know what I'm trying to say?" asked Harry perplexed.

Snape shook his head. Harry sighed and sunk deeper in his chair.

"Try to explain it better." said Snape quietly, making Harry look at him with surprise. The only reason Snape wanted Potter to explain was because of the panic that seemed permanently fixed in his eyes; his very familiar eyes.

Harry took a deep breath. "If someone was reading the book and someone read V – I mean - You-Know-Who using the Cruciartus Curse on me, I expect that _I _would actually feel like the curse is currently being used on me." said Harry slowly; trying to make sense of it.

It was as if someone lumosed Snape's brain as he thought back with Quirrel and Voldemort. "Are you telling me, Potter, that you are feeling the pain of the past as we read?"

"Yes." breathed Harry relieved, glad that Snape explained it right.

Harry looked at Snape who seemed to be thinking deeply.

"Alright, we will explain this to Mr. Teddy Lupin and see if he can get in touch with your future selves and see if this is irreversible." said Snape finally. "Do you wish to tell everyone else?"

"I'll have to," muttered Harry. "There's always something happening in every book. It will start to look suspicious."

Snape nodded, agreeing with Harry for the first time.

Snape exited the room with Harry close behind.

The others in the room had been quietly taking bets on who would come out alive ("Ten sickles on Harry," said Tonks.) when the door opened.

The room looked at Harry and Snape, bewildered that they weren't glaring daggers at each other or that there wasn't any blood. They noticed how somber they both were and were rather curious what they had discussed.

Snape looked at Harry who looked back nervously.

"You explained it better." said Harry quietly. Everyone could hear him anyway and now were looking frustrated.

Snape nodded and in his silky voice started to speak. "We have come to the problem that Harry can feel the pain of the past as we read the books."

Everyone exchanged horrified looks.

"So, you mean," started Ginny slowly. "When you were groaning in pain on the floor, it was because Lupin was reading in the book that your younger self was in pain?" she asked, a little confused.

Harry nodded and slowly it started to sink in.

"Well, we can't read the books then!" said Sirius seriously. He was horrified that Harry had to relive his pain from his first year at Hogwarts and didn't tell anyone.

Teddy suddenly cursed loudly and everyone looked at the man from the future in surprise. He looked rather menacing.

"Lucius." hissed Teddy.

Everyone looked at him surprised, but Malfoy and Narcissa seemed shocked.

"What about my father?" asked Malfoy curiously, dropping his sneer for the time being.

Teddy seemed hesitant.

"You want to tell us, but it'll give away the future, correct?" asked Lupin calmly.

Teddy nodded.

"What_ can_ you tell us?" asked Sirius irritated. "Do you know if we can get rid of this?"

Teddy slowly shook his head. "This is very powerful dark magic, and no offense, sir – " said Teddy directing his next words toward the Headmaster. "Not even you can stop it."

"But we got to do something!" exploded Sirius panicky.

"I can handle it, Sirius," said Harry, as he mustered up all his courage.

"You want to be cursed in the Graveyard again?" inquired Sirius rudely.

It was deathly quiet in the room.

Sirius looked around at everyone and all eyes seemed rapt on Sirius.

Harry was looking stubbornly and wary at Sirius.

"No, no I don't," said Harry quietly. "But I want to know what's going to happen. I want to prevent others deaths."

"But let's say in the last book you do die, Harry," said Sirius sadly and pain was clear in his expression. "That means you'll die here."

It was quiet and Sirius' words seemed to penetrating into every single person in the room.

"I have children, don't I?" said Harry awkwardly.

Sirius slowly nodded. "Yes, but so much pain in a little time could do damage to your mind and eventually you could die. I know about some dark magic because of my family. This could be their plan."

Harry was shocked about how much Sirius really cared, but Harry refused to give in.

"I can deal, Sirius," said Harry quietly.

"Well, I refuse to read aloud a bloody thing in the fourth book," said Sirius determinedly, his voice slightly cracking. He shivered slightly. He still remembered how fragile and empty Harry looked as he divulged what happened in the graveyard.

"Have you told anyone…?" trailed off Sirius. He glanced at Hermione and Ron. He usually told them everything.

Harry shook his head, which made several blink their eyes in surprise. "You need to tell others, Harry…"

"I can deal." interrupted Harry angrily. He wasn't weak.

Sirius clenched his jaw, but let the matter go for now.

"Oh!" said Ginny brightly, wanting to change the matter for Harry's sake. "I forgot to do something."

Ginny got up from the couch where Harry had previously sat, walked over to Ron, and punched him squarely in the face.

Cries of shock ranged out and Ron's chair fell backwards, shaking the floor underneath everyone's feet.

"Ginny!" yelled Mrs. Weasley in shock who had obviously been eves dropping from the kitchen.

Harry understood why she did that, but it still came to him as a shock she actually did it.

Hermione went toward Ginny cautiously, thinking her friend must have gone bonkers. What made her more bewildered is that Harry didn't say or do anything.

Harry took Ginny's wrist and pulled her gently to the kitchen for some ice before people could converge on her. Bill and Charlie followed, believing their brother got what he deserved.

Harry sighed, already tired and went to the icebox for some ice. He put the ice in a washcloth and then grabbed a dishtowel. He made her sit down and Ginny just sat there and stared at him in silence as well as Charlie and Bill. He studied her hand and knew it was going to be a hefty bruise and slightly swollen. She must have really put all her energy into that punch. He first put the dishtowel on her hand flatly and then he put the cloth filled with ice on Ginny's bruised hand. He made her other hand keep it there. He fished in a drawer for another dishtowel and put that in the freezer before going into a nearby medicine cabinet for some Muggle pain medication. Finally, he filled a glass with water and sat next to Ginny, holding the ice on her hand.

"Swallow these," said Harry, gesturing with his head to the two pills on the table. "It's Muggle medication and helps with the pain that's going to come."

Ginny hesitated and swallowed the pills with the water before looking at Harry sadly.

"I have a feeling this isn't your first time taking care of wounds." said Ginny dryly.

Harry only shrugged unconcerned.

"Thanks for that, by the way," said Harry nonchalant. "But next time, just let the matter go."

Ginny tilted her head to the side, looking at Harry. This was a new side of him.

"Harry," said Bill quietly, who had been watching the conversation silently with his brother. Harry raised an eyebrow. "Did they beat you badly?"

Harry was silent for a few minutes as he stared at Ginny's hand blankly.

Finally, Harry sighed in defeat. "I suppose so," started Harry slowly, trying to sound calm. "It was usually my uncle. I just need to remember, sometimes, to think before I speak and pretend I don't exist."

Ginny, Charlie, and Bill were looking at Harry appalled.

"As bad as this is going to sound: I'm use to it," said Harry grimly. "If only people could see the famous Harry Potter then, eh?" muttered Harry sarcastically.

The three Weasley's expressions didn't change as they stared slack-jawed at Harry.

"But, surely, you have s – scars?" asked Charlie hesitantly.

"Besides the one on my forehead?" asked Harry, chuckling not amused. "Don't get mad at them, but Fred and George would usually help with that."

"Fred and George?" said the three Weasley's bewildered.

Harry nodded. "I had to tell them when they saw me changing at the Burrow my first summer there. They help disguise them, but it's only temporarily. I'm sure that it will wear off in a few days."

Ginny was rather shocked and even touched that her twin brothers were so thoughtful.

"But why doesn't the full extent of abuse show in the books?" asked Ginny curiously.

Harry started to look thoughtful. "I believe my future self buried the memories too far that it didn't show up. I think nothing of it now, because I've grown up like that."

The three red heads nodded as they tried to figure out how Harry's mind worked.

"I believe there are quite a few people waiting for us," said Harry, standing up, more tired than he was before.

Harry was slightly scared that he had divulged that much to the three Weasley's, but he felt he could trust them. He wanted to tell Hermione, but she would probably faint. And Ron… Harry frowned. He wasn't sure about Ron at the moment.

As soon as Harry, who was cradling Ginny's hand, Ginny, Charlie and Bill walked into the reading room it went silent.

Currently, people were all around Ron, who was immensely enjoying the attention no matter how angered he was that his little sister punched him for no reason, and were studying a fresh black eye that was the opposite one that Harry had on Ron's face.

To Charlie's dismay, Hermione was touching the black eye gingerly with a finger, seeing how tender the wound was going to be.

There was a sudden commotion as people fired off questions to Ginny on how she could ever do that to her brother. Ginny looked at all the questioners blankly and shrugged at each question.

"These will result in deadly conse – " boomed Mrs. Weasley until Harry suddenly collapsed, his slow breathing turning into fast pants. His eyes were zoomed back into Harry's head showing a pure white.

He was having his first vision. The future was already changing.

**OKAY, Don't kill me because of the cliff hanger(ish)! *sees people grabbing pitchforks and torches* O_O  
****Thanks for reading everyone!**


	19. Chapter 19: Visions and Surprises

The last thing Harry saw before he collapsed was Ginny's defiant face.

He felt like he was in some type of dream state. He felt different, though. It wasn't like his other dreams. His body felt smooth, powerful and flexible. He was gliding between shining metal bars, across dark, cold stone . . . he was flat against the floor, sliding along on his belly . . . it was dark, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in strange, vibrant colors . . . he was turning his head . . . at first glance the corridor was empty…but no… a man was sitting on the floor ahead, his chin drooping on to his chest, his outline gleaming in the dark…

Harry put out his tongue… he tasted the man's scent, but it was slightly off… the man wasn't dead nor alive, but frozen…just like the others…

Harry longed to bite the man… but he must master the impulse… he had more important work to do…

Harry slid past the man to the closed door that the human was poorly guarding…he carefully maneuvered the door open…he slid forward and was immediately pushed with great force backward…he was spinning and twirling before landing with a thud back where the frozen man lay…

Harry hissed in frustration and irritation… the old man had left long lasting spells… he looked back at the frozen man… one taste couldn't hurt…

Harry slithered toward the man and reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man's flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath his jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood . . .

No blood was pooling on the ground…strange… he could still taste the sweetness but it wouldn't pool out into a puddle… Harry eventually had his fill leaving the man with two puncture marks on his neck and broken ribs… he needed to go to his master and find a different plan…

His forehead was hurting extremely… it was ready to explode…

"HARRY! HARRY!"

Harry opened his eyes. Every inch of his body was covered in icy sweat; he felt as though a white-hot poker were being applied to his forehead.

"Harry?"

Ginny was over Harry looking frightened. There were more people around him, but were too blurry to make out; he clutched his head in his hands; the pain was blinding him… he rolled over and vomited to his right making more people scurry backward.

"Is he ill?" asked a scared voice.

He had to tell someone about the bleeding unknown man in the corridor. It was very important that someone knew that he was possibly dying or already dead. Harry sat up while taking great gulps of air, willing himself not to throw up again, the pain half-blinding him.

"Someone's been attacked." said Harry urgently and wide-eyed to Ginny. She was the only person he could see.

"Who?" asked Ginny seriously, hiding her bundle of emotions. She hadn't left his side ever since he fell on the floor. Dumbledore said not to move him so everyone waited. Harry was only breathing for a while until he started muttering and letting out groaning and soft screams…she swore she heard him say 'just a taste'…

"I'm not sure." said Harry perplexed, his eyes still screwed up in pain.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" asked someone familiar. Was it Ron? He wasn't sure, he still couldn't see.

"No!" said Harry furiously. "It wasn't a dream…not an ordinary dream… I was there, I saw it… I - " Harry suddenly stopped. He didn't want everyone to hear that it was _he_ who attacked the man. That it was _he_ who tasted the sweet-tasting blood…

The pain in Harry's head subsided slightly, though he was still sweating and shivering feverishly. He retched again and he could see blurry people jumping backward from the sick.

"Harry would you like that Muggle medication?" asked Ginny shakily.

"I'm fine!" Harry choked, wiping his mouth with a towel someone had put on his chest and he started shaking uncontrollably. "There's nothing wrong with me, it's that man you got worry about – we need to find out where he is – he's lost a lot of blood – I – it was a huge snake."

Harry tried to get up but two sets of strong hands made him stay on the floor. He could faintly see it was Lupin and Sirius.

"W – we need to go help!" shouted Harry angrily. Did no one understand?

The pain was receding very slowly from his scar and he covered his eyes and forehead with the palm of his hands.

"Here you are, Harry," came Ginny's quiet voice a few minutes later.

Harry removed his shaking hands and saw Ginny with two pills and a glass of water. Harry noticed he was near a wall so he scooted directly backwards and Ginny helped him with one arm to lean against it.

Harry swallowed the medication and rested his head against the wall. He blinked the tears away. It felt so real. Was he being possessed? Was Voldemort _inside_ him? Did he just murder an innocent Wizard?

"Am I being possessed?" whispered Harry into Ginny's ear. He felt he could confide in her.

"Remember in my first year?" she whispered back.

Harry nodded. She had been possessed by Tom Riddle with the diary, which happened to be the next book to be read…

"Could you remember everything? Can you recall everything that happened?"

Harry thought back then shivered and nodded. He could remember almost every single detail. He couldn't get rid of the pleasure he had had when tasting the blood…

"Then you're not being possessed. You wouldn't have remembered everything." said Ginny with conviction into Harry's ear.

Harry looked relieved, but instantly worried. What was going on then?

"Harry, can you explain what all happened?" asked Sirius anxiously. He wasn't able to hear anything that Harry and Ginny had whispered and Harry still looked ghostly pale.

Harry looked away. He knew what happened, but didn't want to voice it; didn't want people to look at him fearfully and cower. He could tell Sirius and possibly Lupin, but not with everyone here.

"Harry?" asked Sirius, and Harry had the feeling that his name had been said repeatedly without his knowledge.

"Harry, if time has frozen then once time restarts we'll go save the man," said Lupin with conviction. "He should still be alive."

Harry looked at Lupin and then at Dumbledore who turned away just in time.

"What are you guarding in the Ministry of Magic?"

Harry had no idea why he thought the mysterious corridor was in that building, but he had the feeling it was _there._

Everyone who is in the Order froze.

"I guess the books distracted you from what Voldemort's been up to." said Sirius, kneeling to sit across from Harry.

"Sirius," warned Molly. Everyone was staring raptly at Harry and Sirius rigidly. A frisson had gone around the room.

"I did!" said Harry indignantly, trying to think back to the conversation he, Hermione, and Ron had had in Grimmauld Place. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order's meetings, so – "

"And they're quite right, you're too young," said Mrs. Weasley.

She was looking down on them like they were misbehaving children that could do with a good wash.

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" asked Sirius. "He's got the right to know what's been happen-"

"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" said Fred angrily.

"Considering what just happened, he has the right to know," said Sirius calmly. "It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing; that's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand - "

'It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!' said Mrs. Weasley sharply. The expression on her normally kind face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

Several people glanced at the Headmaster who was putting another lemon drop in his mouth.

"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know,' said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

Every head in the room swiveled from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though they were following a tennis rally.

"Harry is the one who watched Voldemort return – " said Sirius grimly.

"He's only fift – " started Mrs. Weasley flushing.

"And has faced more than people in the Order have." Sirius continued.

"I'm going to go rest." said Harry suddenly making Sirius and Molly stop arguing. Harry had had enough. His scar was still prickling and the shouting wasn't helping.

Ginny didn't let go of Harry's hand as she helped him unsteadily stand up and they both disappeared into Ginny and Hermione's room.

Severus was getting bored with all the drama, but was also pale about Harry's abrupt visions.

Snape walked over to Dumbledore as people started whispering and muttering.

"Why isn't Potter talking about what happened?" questioned Severus curtly. "If he gave us enough information – "

"I believe," interrupted Dumbledore quietly. "That Harry wanted less attention."

"What that supposed to – "

"Harry experienced everything from the snake's point of view." said Dumbledore gravelly.

Snape's eyes widened a quarter of an inch. He must feel as if _he_ was the one who attacked Cresswell…

Harry and Ginny were on Ginny's bed close to each other lost in thought. Harry wanted to sleep, but the images flashing in his mind wouldn't stop and he didn't fancy another vision of being the snake.

"You should sleep." said Ginny quietly, touching Harry's face softly.

Harry sighed.

"I don't want to close my eyes." said Harry.

Ginny stayed silent for a moment. "Harry, why isn't the snake frozen?" she asked.

Harry froze. Ginny didn't know. He had planned on telling her.

Ginny saw Harry's hesitation. "You don't have to tell me," she said quickly, but Harry shook his head.

"You should know. Snape said I wasn't allowed to tell Sirius or Ron and Hermione so it should be okay." Harry cleared his throat. "Voldemort isn't frozen."

Ginny stopped breathing and stared horrified at Harry, but, realizing what she was feeling, hid her emotions.

"Why?"

"Voldemort and I have a deeper connection than anyone realized," said Harry bitterly.

Ginny looked sadly at Harry, wishing she could make all his pain go away.

Ginny suddenly snuggled closer to Harry and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Try to sleep." she breathed into his shirt.

Harry slowly entwined his arms around Ginny's waist and sighed. Before he realized it, he had fallen asleep.

When the couple woke up (Harry had had a dreamless rest) they ventured into the kitchen hearing laughing and clinking of silverware.

Conversation had faltered slightly when they appeared but, with force, everyone continued where they left off.

"Here you go, dears," said Mrs. Weasley quickly; setting plates, forks, knives, and glasses across from Sirius and Lupin.

Harry nodded his thanks, sat down, and quietly put varieties of food on his plate.

"You two had slept through lunch," said Fred, cheerfully.

"Your loss," said George.

Harry looked at them surprised. _Had they really slept that long?_

"You two also looked rather coz – " started Fred, but got hit upside the head by Hermione, but the damage was done.

Laughter broke out and Harry's face started to flush. Ginny had gone slightly pink, but otherwise ignored them and scooped herself some mashed potatoes.

"You two aren't going to work."

Laughter died quickly and many looked around for who said that, but Harry and Ginny knew who.

"And why not?" said Ginny stubbornly.

Ron shrugged and Ginny had the sudden urge to protect Harry. Ron looked more dangerous as he glared with the black eye Ginny gave him this morning.

"Ron, I don't think that's your place to say," said Hermione confused.

"She's my sister," said Ron simply.

"And has her own mind," said Charlie quietly.

"You don't have the right – " exploded Ron.

"Yes, Ron, I do," said Charlie calmly. His fists were clenched under the table, his eyes fixed on Ron.

Charlie and Ron studied each other to see who would speak first.

"I've had enough of this," said Ginny, placing her napkin on her plate. "Harry?"

Harry nodded and got up with Ginny.

Ginny grabbed four chocolate chip muffins, tossed two to Harry, and then both left for the reading room. Ginny agreed with Charlie whole-heartily and couldn't believe how much of a git her brother was acting.

As Harry and Ginny finished their muffins and discussed quietly what Ron's problem was people started filing into the reading room.

Hermione decided to sit next to the twins on the couch and Ron sat alone in an arm chair. Sirius was sitting with Ginny and Harry, and Lupin was sitting with Teddy and Tonks. Everyone else stayed next to who they did before.

"Since love birds over here slept in," Sirius jerked his head at Ginny and Harry smirking. "We'll just read a few – "

"DADDY!"

Everyone jumped (even Mad-Eye) and someone fast ran toward Harry, Ginny, and Sirius' couch, managing to rock the couch a bit as the little person landed on Harry.

Everyone looks bewildered, but Harry was the most, as they stared at the little person latching on to Harry like a life line.

It was a little girl. She had long red hair that fell to her waist and curled into ringlets at the bottom. Harry could see she had shocking familiar green eyes.

The girl was sobbing onto Harry's shirt and Harry just sat their numbly, but couldn't help but pat the little girl's back awkwardly. He felt a weird attachment to the girl, but he couldn't fathom why.

"LILY LUNA POTTER!"

Everyone turned to see the young Teddy Lupin looking quite angry. Teddy was now standing, his hair a fiery red and his expression divided between bewilderement and anger.

The little girl's (Lily) sobbing ceased, though the tears on her cheeks hadn't dried, and she slowly climbed off Harry to Teddy.

Ginny noticed with a jolt how the girl looked very much like her. She hadn't had ringlets and her eyes were definitely not green, but just the stubborn look in her eyes and the color of her hair…

Harry looked at the girl and immediately thought of Ginny and then when he had seen her eyes, it was as if it was a carbon copy of _his_ eyes. Of his mother's eyes. Didn't Teddy say he had a daughter in the future named Lily? Harry's mouth popped open. He was seeing his future daughter. But why did she look so much like Ginny...

Teddy had his hands on his hips looking disapprovingly down at a mournful yet stubborn Lily.

Teddy then looked around the room and something must of caught his eye when he suddenly walked to his right, reached out both of his hands and everyone could hear voices swearing under their breath.

When Teddy had gone back to Lily with the invisible people, Teddy grabbed the Invisibility cloak to reveal two more kids. They both had black hair, but the tallest had brown eyes and the other looked to be an exact duplicate of Harry.

"Would you let go of our ears, Teddy?" said the tallest one pouting. "I don't want to end up like Uncle – "

Teddy quickly let go of their ears and shushed him.

"You stole the Map, then?" accused Teddy, his arms crossed in disapproval.

"I was going to get it back this Christmas, anyway!" whined the taller one.

"Not anymore, I'll have a talk with Da- your father." said Teddy gravelly. The tallest one looked horrified at Teddy.

"And I'm guessing you followed me here _without_ telling Mu – your mom and dad?"

The tallest one was whistling innocently much to the amusement of Sirius, reminding him of a certain Marauder.

"James, this is not the time," growled Teddy, his eyes narrowing.

Lily's tears had slowly restarted, which made Teddy soften.

"Lily, come here," sighed Teddy.

Lily obediently went to her "brother" who picked her up and put her on his hip as the little girl clung to him much like she had with Harry.

"James and Al, explain why you're here." said Teddy, frowning.

James and Albus both started talking animatedly.

"Well, James – "

"Well, Al – "

James and Albus stopped to glare at each other.

Teddy rolled his eyes.

"You used the Extendable Ears, version 6.5, didn't you?" said Teddy exasperated.

Fred and George looked at each other surprised. _Version 6.5?_ Slowly they started to grin.

The three children mutely nodded.

Teddy thought they've had enough of a speech and bent down to Albus' eye level, Lily still hanging onto Teddy's side.

"Do you realize how worried your parents probably are right now?" asked Teddy quietly.

Immediately, the three children looked down ashamed.

Lily was confused why Teddy said _your _parents and not just Mum and Dad.

"But Mummy and Daddy are already here!" protested Lily.

Teddy's lips twitched almost into a smile.

"Lily, we're in the past. Voldemort – "

A few people in the Room of Requirement flinched and were surprised that little Lily didn't even blink.

" – Is - Er - very close in this time."

All three children's eyes widened, but James didn't look too worried.

"But that's alright 'cause Dad – "

"JAMES!" shouted Teddy, stopping James' cheery statement.

Teddy pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He loved his brothers and sister, but right now, they were making things more difficult.

"Alright," said Teddy finally, opening his eyes. "You lot are going into that room," Teddy pointed to the Meeting Room door. "And I'll be right there to explain a few rules before you can sit in here."

James and Al walked to the Meeting Room occasionally shoving the other before disappearing into the Meeting Room. Lily refused to let go of Teddy.

"Lily," sighed Teddy. "I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" questioned Lily, her bright green eyes looking hopefully at him.

"No." said Teddy, smiling softly at her.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her fists.

"I have an important mission for you, though," said Teddy seriously.

Lily tilted her head curiously as Teddy set her on the ground his face suddenly breaking into a grin.

"I want you to make sure Al and James don't demolish the room."

Lily grinned and ran to the Meeting Room. She turned around to the room of frozen people before she opened the door.

"I'll be right back, Mummy and Daddy!" said the little girl brightly, waving to Ginny and Harry, before she, too, disappeared behind the door.

Teddy looked amused and tired.

There was complete silence for a few moments.

"Well, that was different." said Sirius brightly.

**It was a close one, but not one pitchfork or any type of karate made contact! Hope you liked this chapter as much as I do! Lily is one of my favorite characters (even though I practically created her personality on here… that weird?) And just a heads up that the children might be in different houses and ages than you might think, but this is me making it more original for me. Also, yes, I know the descriptions of some of the children were different. I won't be changing them, so, I'm sorry if you don't agree :/**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


	20. Chapter 20: The Worst Birthday

"Well, that was different." said Sirius brightly.

"Blimey," said Ron surprised. "She looked a lot like Ginny."

Teddy started backing away slowly to the Meeting Room. "I really don't want Al or James to demolish the room…"

"What are you hiding?" demanded Ron suspiciously.

"I'm from the future so," said Teddy shrugging. "A lot of things."

Teddy risked a glance at Ginny and Harry, but Ron noticed. His mouth popped open. "You don't mean – " started Ron.

"See you lot in a few minutes!" said Teddy cheerfully and he disappeared behind the door.

It was silent for a few moments.

Ginny and Harry exchanged bewildered looks. Did they just meet _their_ children?

"Er – " Harry trailed off.

Ginny was blushing.

"This can't be happening!" exploded Ron outraged. "You have _kids_ with my sister?"

Harry started looking uncomfortable. "I – I'm not sure, Ron,"

"That red-head sure looked a lot like Ginny," continued Ron, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"Her name is Lily," said Ginny and Harry frowning. They both looked at each other surprised.

"Ronald, sit down," said Mr. Weasley quietly. Ron was half-way out of his seat.

Ron grumpily sat back down.

"Well, welcome to the family," said Charlie cheerfully making Harry and Ginny blush rapidly and Ron's ears to go scarlet. Bill grinned at them making their blush deepen.

"He's not in the family." said Ron stubbornly.

"So," started Harry slowly, the flush starting to leave him. "If, in a couple years, I'm still alive, and Ginny and I are still together, you would deny us getting married?"

Ginny glanced at Harry surprised, but quickly looked away as hope swelled in her. But what did he mean '_if he's still alive_'?

"Yes." Ron said. "Are you proposing right now?" he suddenly challenged.

Harry looked taken aback. "Of c - course not."

"So, you don't want to marry her?"

"She's only fourteen and I'm only fifteen!" said Harry bewildered. What was Ron doing?

"Ronald," said Hermione getting up from her seat. "What do you have against Harry? All he's ever done is helped you!"

Ron bit back a retort with effort. He could name a few things. For one, Ginny was too young. And also, it was _always_ about Harry this and Harry that. People had been doting on _him_ when Ginny had hit him, but then Harry faints and everyone flocks around him.

"Go on," said Hermione impatiently. "Spit it out."

Ron got up and stormed off into the kitchen. She stepped forward to go follow him, but to her shock, Charlie grabbed her wrist.

She turned to stare incredulous at him. He quickly let go as if he had been electrified.

"He needs time to cool down." Charlie said quietly.

Hermione could only nod and sat back down by the twins.

Everyone waited in silence for Teddy to return.

"Teddy," asked Lily as she kicked her legs aimlessly in the air where she sat on the edge of the table. "Why don't you call them Mum and Dad anymore?" said Lily, slightly tearful. Was Teddy not part of the family anymore?

Teddy looked pained at his sister. "Lily," said Teddy softly. "My _real_ parents are in that room. They might take it the wrong way if I did that." he tried to explain.

"Oh," said Lily quietly. She always forgot he wasn't related by blood.

"I still consider Ginny and Harry my Mum and Dad, though," added Teddy anxiously, not liking the crestfallen face on Lilly. "But not right now."

Lily nodded.

"So, how did you lot manage to find me?"

Al and James glanced at each other.

"James…"

"Why do you always think it's _my _fault!" pouted James, crossing his arms.

Teddy merely rolled his eyes.

"Al, what happened?"

"Well," said Al's quiet voice. "We were running around Hogwarts visiting the Headmaster before term started and James noticed your name on the map so we followed you outside the Room of Requirement. You had used Aunt Hermione's Time Turner and Lily said you turned it seven times. We hid under the Invisibility cloak. We've been sneaking food at night or when you're reading Dad's life."

Teddy nodded thoughtfully during Al's explanation.

"And we overheard you the night before with the Extendable Ears that you were going to go into the past," interjected James.

"Are we in trouble?" asked Al.

Teddy shook his head. "No, but I need to tell Dad that you're here,"

"Mum's going to kill us," wailed James in despair.

Teddy chuckled and then turned quite serious. "Alright, you lot can listen to the Reading, though Lily, I might ask you to leave for some of the scary parts."

"I can handle it." said Lily, puffing out her chest.

Teddy merely chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"You cannot make hints about what happens in the future," said Teddy. "You can't tell them who dies and watch what you say at all times. Voldemort is still alive in this time and Harry still feels pain with his scar."

All three children nodded.

"I believe that Mum and Dad have figured out they get together in the future and have you lot," Teddy winked. "If you have any questions that risk giving away the future ask me, and only me."

The children nodded again.

"Alright, ready?"

They nodded again. Lily jumped onto Teddy again who caught her with ease.

James opened the door and confidently went back into the room.

All eyes latched onto James and then Al and finally Teddy and Lily.

"DADDY! MUMMY!" yelled Lily with glee and wriggled free from Teddy to go onto Harry's lap.

Ginny and Harry blushed and no one could hold back their laughter.

"Where's Uncle Ron?" asked Al quietly. Dad always said he noticed things other didn't. Kind of like him when Dad was younger. Everyone did a double take when they saw Al.

"He needed some fresh air." said Lupin softly.

Al nodded and sat on the ground near Harry and Ginny.

James swaggered to sit next to Al who quickly moved away in fear of being pranked.

James snickered.

Sirius clapped his hands together. "So!" he bellowed. "What year are you in, James?"

James did a double take when Sirius spoke, knowing this is who he was also named after, but seeing a cautious glance from Teddy quickly looked casual.

"I'm in my fourth year; Slytherin!" said James with glee. His grin slowly vanished at the looks of horror he was receiving.

"You're in slippery Slytherin?" asked Ron from the doorway of the kitchen.

James looked at him curiously. "That's exactly what you said when I told you in the future, Uncle Ron."

Ron grunted.

"Slytherin house is different in our time," said Teddy quietly. Everyone nodded, trying to understand.

"I'm second year," said Al, smiling broadly. "Gryffindor!"

He received a few smiles and everyone was still wary of how much he looked like Harry.

"And how old are you, Lily?" asked Sirius with a wink.

Lily giggled and held up three fingers. "Daddy says I'm going to be in Ravenclaw 'cause I'm so smart!"

"Full sentences at your age are quite impressive," said Lupin smiling.

Lily nodded rapidly and leaned back into Harry's chest sucking her thumb.

Harry was quite surprised how he didn't feel awkward anymore. It just felt…natural?

"James," whined Lily suddenly. "I want Scorpius."

James rolled his eyes. "No."

"Why not?" asked Lily stubbornly.

"Because your little crush is bad enough." said James frowning and then looked at Draco. "Your kid is getting _way_ too friendly with my sister. He's four and follows Lily everywhere."

Draco's eyes widened and he and Harry exchanged looks.

There was an awkward silence.

"Should we read two chapters before bed?" asked Mrs. Weasley quickly.

There were a few nods in agreement.

Teddy picked up the a book from the floor that was as short as the first one. "**Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets**."

"Oh, I like this story," said James, laying down on the floor right on top of Ginny's feet. Ginny shot him a look and he only grinned.

"You remind me so much of your grandfather," said Sirius chuckling. "You live up to your name."

"That's what everyone says!" exclaimed James in amazement.

There were a few chuckles.

"Isn't the Chamber a myth, though?" asked Tonks curiously.

"Nope!" said James before Teddy could speak. Teddy gave him a swift glare.

"Sorry Tedders!" said James airily, knowing that Teddy hated that nickname.

The twins snickered and got up to give James high fives who did so with back with enthusiasm.

Teddy flipped to the right page, grumbling under his breath about a certain annoying brother and finally stopped.

"**The Worst Birthday**."

"Well, that's a cheerful start," said Bill warily.

Harry grimaced, memories starting to come back to him. Being imprisoned in his room, crashing the car, Dobby, Lockhart, being called the Slytherin heir…

Ron had snuck back into the room, looking bored and Al was looking at him curiously. Uncle Ron wasn't wearing his façade anymore. Al knew that his Uncle just acted nice, because he had snuck over to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's house to hide from his brother during Hide-In-Seek when he saw his Uncle yelling at his Aunt. Aunt Hermione was cowering on the floor looking stubborn but scared. She had had a scratch on her cheek and bruises along her arms and neck.

Al had quickly escaped before his Uncle saw him. He thought that his Aunt might have seen him, but he wasn't quite sure. Aunt Hermione had had two miscarriages and Al had the feeling this is what triggered his Uncle to act out or at least it was part of it.

**[A/N: Don't yell at me about this part, please? Just, possibly, go with the flow?]**

He wished that Uncle Charlie would come back from Romania soon to comfort his Aunt since he, besides Harry and Ginny, was the only one that could stop her from crying.

Harry noticed his son – blimey it was weird to think of the boy like that – eyeing Ron with a shadow of disgust. What had Ron done? He could tell that Al had an air of wisdom to him, and saw things that others didn't.

**Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room.**

**"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"**

"It's an owl," said Charlie, rolling his eyes. "All of them make noise."

**Harry tried, yet again, to explain.**

**"She's bored," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night -"**

"She's been locked up all summer?" asked Charlie with horror. Harry mutely nodded. Harry glanced down at Lily to see she had started sucking on her thumb again. He couldn't help but smile.

Al was a bit jealous of his sister that she got to Dad first, and his arse was already hurting. He got up and went to go sit on Sirius' lap.

Sirius glanced at the boy surprised, but didn't comment. He only winked and this made Al smile.

James was pouting. He got up and eyed his mother.

"James – " warned Ginny, having a feeling what James was thinking of doing. "Oof!"

James sat on Ginny's lap and was stretching. Sirius was letting out his barking laugh that made all the kids stare at him with wonder. Dad had described Sirius perfectly. Ginny glared and James got up quickly.

"I've met your wrath before," said James shivering. "I don't need that again."

Ginny couldn't help but grin as everyone laughed. The couch that two of the three kids sat on with Ginny, Harry and Sirius suddenly grew in length making a spot open in between Harry and Ginny. James happily sat down.

"It _is_ strange that I'm in the same year as you, Mum," said James, practically hopping up and down while sitting.

Ginny was caught off guard of being called a "Mum" when she was only fourteen, but she just chuckled in response.

"James, can you sit still for five minutes?" asked Teddy as he rolled his eyes.

Lupin looked at the interactions with curiosity. Harry's children and Teddy acted very close and it was more of a cousin type of interaction. Almost like a family…

"Nope!" said James, popping the "p."

Teddy glared swiftly before he returned to the reading.

**"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."**

**He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.**

**Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley.**

"Uncle Dudders _did_ say he was a prat when he was younger," said Al thoughtfully.

Harry shot his son – it was becoming natural to think of this already – a bewildered look.

"Al…" warned Teddy.

"Sorry, Teddy," said Al softly.

**"I want more bacon."**

"Me too." said Sirius wistfully.

**There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance... I don't like the sound of that school food..."**

**"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"**

**Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry.**

James snickered along with the twins.

**"Pass the frying pan."**

**"You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.**

**The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.**

"What did Harry do?" asked Sirius perplexed.

"He used the "M" word," said Al quietly to Sirius.

Sirius glanced down at Al, but was still confused.

**"I meant 'please'!" said Harry quickly. "I didn't mean -"**

**"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"**

"Oh," said Lupin and scoffed. "He said "magic."

"Are you serious?" said Tonks before she, too, rolled her eyes.

"No, I am," said Sirius smirking.

James was laughing and everyone was either chuckling or rolling their eyes.

**"But I -"**

**"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist.**

"But he didn't!" protested Ginny.

**"I just -"**

**"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"**

"Abnormality?" asked Sirius dangerously.

Harry shifted on the couch.

**Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.**

**"All right," said Harry, "all right. . . " **

**Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes.**

**Ever since Harry had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment.**

**He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master), the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch.**

"I'm seeker for Slytherin!" said James excitedly.

"And I am for Gryffindor," said Al, suddenly smirking. "I beat you every single time."

James' next words faltered and he glared at Al.

"You didn't against Ravenclaw last May," said James, smug.

"I broke my arm fighting with Parkinson!" protested Albus, his eyes flashing when he said that.

"You didn't tell me that!" said James, wide eyed. "Stupid second year Slytherin!" Understanding seemed to cross James' face. "Is that why his nose was broken?"

Al nodded and James gave him a proud look.

"You don't mean Pansy Parkinson reproduced?" asked Ginny with an air of disgust.

Al nodded.

"Malfoy and I will beat his arse when we get back." said James confidently.

Draco glanced at James in surprise. He had two kids now?

Surprisingly, Al and Teddy started laughing. "That's just an excuse to get closer to her." said Teddy snickering.

James pouted.

"Who are we talking about?" asked Sirius curiously.

"Melinda Malfoy." said Lily grinning. "You're always snogging in your room."

James started blushing rapidly and Harry and Draco glanced at each other bewildered. Two of Harry's kids were crushing on a Malfoy.

"Damn ferret," muttered Ginny.

James grinned. "You and Dad still call him that behind his back."

Harry and Ginny exchanged quick grins.

"Can we continue?" said Severus bored.

"Hey Al," said James, studying Snape. "Aren't those the two wizards you were named after?"

Al quickly looked at them. The one with the long white beard and piercing blue eyes was obviously Dumbledore and the other was the greasy Professor.

"Dad," said Al curiously. "Did you_ have_ to name me after someone who is in need of shampoo?"

No one, not even Minerva, could hold back their laughter or snorts.

Severus glared at the boy that looked so much like Potter, but Al only raised an eyebrow and continued to study him.

"Nice one, Al," said James leaning over Harry to give Al a high five.

"This is going to take forever to finish if you lot don't stop talking." said Teddy.

James and Al mimicked zipping their lips and throwing the key away while Lily continued to suck her thumb on Harry's lap.

**All Harry's spellbooks, his wand, robes, cauldron, and top-of-the-line Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Harry had come home.**

"Those gits!" said Sirius dangerously.

**What did the Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team because he hadn't practiced all summer? What was it to the Dursleys if Harry went back to school without any of his homework done?**

**Uncle Vernon had even padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage, to stop her from carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world.**

**Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous ... but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly.**

**The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real present, let alone a cake - but to ignore it completely...**

"That's horrible!" yelled Hermione crossly.

**At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day."**

**Harry looked up, hardly daring to believe it.**

Everyone felt the same way as they exchanged bewildered looks.

**"This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career, " said Uncle Vernon.**

**Harry went back to his toast. Of course, he thought bitterly, Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party. He'd been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills).**

**"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. **

**"We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be -?"**

**"In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."**

"They plan out their dinner parties?" asked Narcissa surprised. She had been quiet for a while, but felt no need to add her opinions. But she _was_ ecstatic that she would be getting grandchildren and Draco would survive this war.

Harry mutely nodded.

**"Good, good. And Dudley?"**

**"I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"**

**"They'll love him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.**

**"Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry. "And you?"**

**"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry tonelessly.**

"And on your birthday, of all days," Lupin said quietly.

**"Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. "I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them -drinks. At eight- fifteen -"**

**"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"And, Dudley, you'll say -"**

**"May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.**

**"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia.**

**"And you?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry.**

**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry dully.**

Pitying looks were sent in Harry's direction who didn't speak as he absentmindedly ran his lithe fingers through Lily's hair.

**"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner.**

"They planned out their compliments as well?" asked Mrs. Weasley shocked.

Harry couldn't hold back a small grin.

"**Petunia, any ideas?"**

**"Vernon tells me you're a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason... Do tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason…"**

**"Perfect. . . Dudley?"**

**"How about -'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about you.'"**

"He hasn't even met the man and he supposedly wrote an essay about him?" said Tonks, rolling her eyes.

This was too much for Sirius. He started laughing on how ridiculous it all was. Soon enough, everyone was laughing at the craziness of it all.

**This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and Harry. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Harry ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing.**

"You shouldn't _have to_ hide your laughter." said Sirius stiffly.

Harry shrugged.

**"And you, boy?"**

**Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged.**

**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," he said.**

"That really is starting to be depressing." muttered Tonks.

**"Too right, you will," said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "The Masons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way. When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten and be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time tomorrow." **

**Harry couldn't feel too excited about this. He didn't think the Dursleys would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive.**

"**Right - I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And you," he snarled at Harry. "You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning."**

"At least you're not being forced to clean the house," said Sirius brightly.

Harry grunted.

**Harry left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath: "Happy birthday to me ... happy birthday to me. . .**

"It's pathetic, really," said Ron.

Harry pretended not to have heard him, while everyone shot Ron a puzzled look.

**No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. He gazed miserably into the hedge. He had never felt so lonely. More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They, however, didn't seem to be missing him at all. Neither of them had written to him all summer,**

"Yes, I di – " protested Hermione shrilly.

"I know, Hermione," said Harry comfortingly.

Hermione huffed.

**Even though Ron had said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay. Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Harry hadn't told the Dursleys this; he knew it was only their terror that he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking him in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick. For the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him.**

There were a few light chuckles, but everyone was still quite angry.

**But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal - and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday.**

"I – "

"I know, Hermione," said Harry, shaking his head at Hermione's worrying.

**What wouldn't he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy; just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream...**

"That is desperate." said Bill, missing the look Draco shot him.

Several people chuckled.

**Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun. At the very end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Harry kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes.**

Several people shivered.

Lily looked at them all curiously. "Fear of the name – "

"We know," snapped Ron, making Lily blink rapidly to stop the tears that pricked her eyes. Why was Uncle Ron being so mean?

"OI!" yelled Harry and Ginny angrily.

Ron shrugged and awkwardly turned away from all the glares.

Lily hid her face in the crook of Harry's neck as she continued to suck her thumb.

Ginny and Harry exchanged looks.

Lupin, along with several others, thought Harry and Ginny were already acting like a married couple. It was as if the children made the teens seem more mature.

Al was very curious why his Uncle wasn't pretending to be nice anymore.

**Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge - and the hedge was staring back. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.**

A few people looked at the book curiously and sat up a little straighter.

**Harry jumped to his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.**

**"I know what day it is," sang Dudley, waddling toward him.**

**The huge eyes blinked and vanished.**

**"What?" said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been.**

**"I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to him.**

**"Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week."**

"Where did this wit go, Harry!" said the twins in mock horror.

Harry rolled his eyes and James was thinking rather sadly of his Uncle George, who was still the prankster of the family and was always laughing, but you could still detect a hint of sadness from him when he was quiet. Auntie Angelina and their child Fred, who was best friend's with Al, did help a little.

**"Today's your birthday," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?"**

**"Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school," said Harry coolly.**

**Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom.**

**"Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously.**

**"I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Harry.**

A few people snorted with laughter.

"Not the smartest move, Harry," said Ginny rolling her eyes, but a smile hinting at her lips.

**"You c-can't - Dad told you you're not to do m-magic - he said he'll chuck you out of the house - and you haven't got anywhere else to go - you haven't got any friends to take you – "**

**"Jiggery pokery!" said Harry in a fierce voice. "Hocus pocus squiggly wiggly -"**

**"MUUUUUUM!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!"**

"But those aren't even real words!" said Sirius bewildered on why Harry would say such random nonsense.

The people in the room who were familiar with what Muggles considered "magic" were laughing.

**Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face.**

**Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun.**

The laughter immediately ceased.

**As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan.**

Sirius growled and Lupin had to hold one back as everyone looked murderously at the book.

Al looked at Sirius surprised, but remembered that Dad's God-father had been an animagus, which was a dog.

"Honestly, it was just a frying pa – "

Harry received dark looks which made him stop explaining. He shook his head annoyed, but it instantly vanished when he noticed Lily had fallen asleep with her thumb still in her mouth. He couldn't hold back a small adoring smile.

**Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn't eat again until he'd finished.**

Malfoy rolled his eyes, knowing that it couldn't be _that_ bad.

**While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench.**

Mouths popped open in horror as they all stared at Harry, having to remember that the _real_ Harry was the one holding Lily since there were quite a few people with untidy black hair on that couch.

"That's child abuse!" yelled Mrs. Weasley and Ginny outraged.

James and Al looked wide-eyed at their Dad for what he had to go through for his child hood.

Teddy was smiling slightly because of how adorable and innocent Lily was being on Harry's lap. He had already heard of his Dad's - Harry's - abuse. Teddy hid a pained look. He had to watch his words more carefully.

**The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. **

Harry could feel himself getting warm and suddenly tired.

**Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking himself... maybe he didn't have any friends at Hogwarts…**

"You and your negative thoughts, Harry," said Ginny, shaking her head.

**Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face.**

**It was half past seven, in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him.**

**"Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!"**

**Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.**

"That _does_ sound good," said Sirius, licking his lips.

Lupin shot him a bewildered look. "You just ate, Sirius."

"And?" challenged Sirius.

Teddy cleared his throat as several people stifled their laughter.

**"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table.**

"WHAT?!" shouted several people outraged.

"You're much too skinny, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley frowning concerned. She quickly got up and came back a few moments later with sandwiches for Harry.

"Honestly," protested Harry as Mrs. Weasley shoved the plate into Harry's hand knowing he couldn't give it back risking waking Lily. "I'm not hungry."

"You missed lunch and you barely ate supper," said Mrs. Weasley disapproving.

"Well, I'll eat them if you're not hungry, Dad," said James, eyeing the sandwiches. "I'm starving."

"So am I." said Al with a mouthful of bread and turkey.

"How do you _do _that?" asked James in amazement as he picked up two of the four remaining sandwiches, never being able to figure out how Al was so sneaky and fast.

Al shrugged and wiped his fingers on his shirt.

Al was now receiving respectful looks from the twins who had just barely seen Al steal the sandwiches. He would be a useful prankster to mold… the twins exchanged looks and grinned.

**She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress.**

"That color doesn't match her personality," said Luna wisely.

"What does the color mean?" asked Neville surprised.

"That you are youthful and joyful," said Luna dreamily.

"Nope, doesn't match." said George, his twin nodding in agreement.

**Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper. The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate. "Upstairs! Hurry!"**

**As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the door bell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs. **

**"Remember, boy - one sound -" Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.**

"What?" asked several people.

Teddy only shrugged and passed the book to Tonks.

"**Dobby's Warning**," read Tonks.

**Okay, don't kill me about Ron in the future in Al's point of view.  
*cowers from Ron Weasley/ Romione fans*  
Just remember that the purpose of these books is to change the future, okay? Phew, was worried about that… :D  
(I also don't have a passionate hate towards Ron, I swear! He's just not my favorite character.) **

**Just going to let everyone know that before I posted this fan fiction on this site I had already written them reading the 1st and 2nd book in advance. (this is explaining why my updates are really really fast!)**

**ANYWAY! Thanks for reading((:**


	21. Chapter 21: Dobby's Warning

"**Dobby's Warning**," read Tonks.

**Harry managed not to shout –**

"Teddy?" bellowed a familiar voice.

Teddy jumped, looked at Harry confused and then understanding flitted through his eyes as he fished in his pocket until, triumphantly, pulling out a glowing Galleon.

"What's that?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Just one of your creations," said Teddy shrugging when he suddenly threw the coin in the air, but it didn't drop to the floor like most coins. This one stayed in mid air and grew and grew until finally a picture formed (much like a telly) showing a man with untidy black hair and piercing green eyes.

Harry realized with a jolt that this was _him_ in the future.

"Wotcher, Harry," said Teddy, using Tonks' catch phrase. Teddy's hair turned into the usual turquoise.

Harry tilted his head confused and then sad understanding went through them.

"You met them?"

Teddy nodded.

"Is Lily, James, and Al there?" asked Harry urgently.

Harry noticed that his future self had dark markings under his eyes and his hair seemed more untidy than usual.

Teddy nodded again. "They took the map and used the Extendable Ears."

Relief took a hold of future Harry's features until he looked irritated.

"I thought I took them all away, but I think George bewitched the Ears to return back to their owners," mused Harry.

Fred and George grinned, not believing they didn't think of that before.

"Can I speak with them?"

Teddy pushed the coin to Harry's couch. Future Harry looked surprised in seeing the family quite close together and seemed to not be able to keep his eyes off of Sirius until James spoke up.

"So, Dad, about the map…"

Future Harry raised an eyebrow. "You still think you get to have that, after what you've done?"

James mouth opened to argue.

"James, do you realize the stress you put on your mother? You know very well she's pregnant and the stress isn't good for her."

James looked a little ashamed, but let a smirk grace his features. "You're mad 'cause Mum's always having mood swings when she's pregnant."

Harry looked a little embarrassed. "That's beside the point."

There were a few chuckles around the room and the Ginny in the room smacked the present Harry upside the head.

"Is Lily sleeping?" asked Harry anxiously.

"Do you want us to wake her up?" asked Al.

"No," said Harry slowly. "No, I'll see her in a few weeks," Harry looked pained just thinking of that.

Future Harry then acknowledged the room. "There is so much I would love to say, but I fear of changing the future too much." said Harry wistfully. Sirius noticed lots of wisdom in the future Harry's eyes and wondered how much Harry had gone and will go through. "But I'm sorry to say quite a few of you will have to leave since my children are there."

A few people exchanged looks.

"Kingsley, I'm going to have you leave and come back when you everyone starts reading the third book. You'll be frozen, but will be able to remember everything."

Kingsley nodded.

"Narcissa, Mad-Eye, Mr. Weasley and Minerva, I need you all to leave," said Harry sadly. "But you'll be able to come back when reading the fourth book. When you get to the end of the fourth book, I should be able to pick up James, Lily, and Al to take back home.

Future Harry looked around the room once more before returning to Harry. "Teddy, I need to speak with you and – Er – Harry alone."

Teddy nodded, got up, and took the galleon. Harry did also, but realized he would have to take Lily along since she was clinging to his neck.

Ginny gave him a look which clearly stated if she should take Lily, but he slowly shook his head, met Teddy by the door, and entered the Meeting Room.

"Hello, Harry," said his future self. "This is bizarre!"

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Dad, I need to tell you something." said Teddy, addressing future Harry.

Harry side glanced at Teddy surprised, but Teddy pretended not to have noticed.

"Apparently, your younger self is feeling the pain of the past as it's being read."

Future Harry's eyes widened and then turned dangerous. "Lucius,"

"That's who I thought of also," said Teddy seriously. "I'm assuming the spell can't be turned around?"

The Harry in the telly shook his head forlorn. "I'll have Hermione check it out, but otherwise no."

It was quiet for a few seconds. "Harry?"

Harry looked up to see his future self looking bemused with the situation. Harry looked closer at his future self. His black hair was still untidy as ever and he saw lots of wisdom in his older self. He looked more muscled and less lanky. Despite the fact his future self's kids are in the past, the older Harry looked more relaxed.

"Yes?"

"Is there anything else that's been happening that could affect the future?"

Harry hesitated. This was his future self, it should be fine telling him. "Voldemort and apparently his snake are not frozen."

His future self froze and was silent for a few minutes until he slowly starting nodding. "I didn't realize how deep your – our – connection really was." said Future Harry pained. "How do you know?"

"I had looked at Dumbledore and felt like… like – " Harry gulped and couldn't finish his sentence; couldn't get the words to form on his lips.

"Biting him?" asked his future self softly.

Harry looked up to see his future self filled with understanding. "I've had that feeling once before also. Did you have the dream with the snake yet?"

Harry's mouth popped open. "Yes! And it was all in the snake perspective and I had attacked a man I didn't know. Before that I had tried to get past what they were guarding, but there were spells that Dumbledore must had put in place so I had gotten thrown back. Then I left to go figure out a new plan with Voldemort." Harry said this all very fast, finally getting it off his chest.

"It's very familiar to the dream I had." mused Future Harry. "It was Mr. Weasley in my dream, though, but since he is there in the room with you that wouldn't be right."

Harry let out a small gasp. It would have been Mr. Weasley he would have attacked if he hadn't gotten the books?

"Harry, you are not bad, it's not your fault, I promise."

Harry looked at his Future self who looked quite sincere, but he would never forget the dream. He wouldn't stop blaming himself.

"I know you won't stop blaming yourself," said future Harry. Blimey, this was getting weirder. "I haven't stopped, just – just don't beat yourself up for it."

Harry nodded. There was one more thing that he should probably mention, but he wasn't sure…

"What else?"

Harry looked at his future self who was studying him carefully. "Charlie Weasley and Hermione have gotten really close and then it seems as if Charlie gave her a love potion. Ron's been acting weird. It's like he's been imperiused or something."

Future Harry looked surprised. "Do you believe Charlie gave Hermione a love potion?"

Harry thought about that. Did he?

Harry slowly shook his head. "There _is _something strange going on. I haven't figured it out, yet."

Future Harry nodded.

"Alright." The older Harry turned to Teddy.

"Keep me updated by Galleon, watch Lil's, James, and Al, and – " Harry suddenly looked left and right. "Keep a close eye on Ron, will you?" asked Harry quietly.

Teddy nodded. "See you, Dad,"

Future Harry smiled. "Take care."

The telly that was in midair disappeared and the Galleon fell, which Teddy caught.

"Why were you calling me Dad?" blurted Harry.

Teddy looked at him sadly. "Well, before Lupin and Tonks died in the Battle they named you God-father. I lived with my grandmother – Tonks' mother – until I was four and she passed away. I was then taken into your custody and you and M-Ginny raised me. I've always called you all that. Lily was upset that I kept calling you by name."

Harry stood there, not moving; grief sweeping his emotions. He knew that Lupin and Tonks died, but it was still impossible to comprehend. He was raising a child at only twenty-one.

Teddy suddenly hugged Harry quickly, careful not to jostle Lily, and left the Meeting Room. Harry sucked in his courage and also left the room.

As usual, all eyes were on him. Harry noticed that Al was now curled up to Ginny's side and she was in a conversation with James who was leaning against her legs. Harry smiled to himself before sitting next to Ginny and Al. Ginny sent him a quick grin.

Harry noticed that the group of people had shrunken in size. Kingsley, McGonagall, Mad-Eye, and Mr. Weasley were nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Weasley looked a little sad, but she had joined into conversation with Ginny and James.

"Should we keep reading?" asked Ron, trying to keep things light. Ginny gave him a quick glare, which meant Ron was still not forgiven for snapping at Lily.

"Sure," said Lupin, before throwing the book at Sirius who caught it by reflex.

Sirius shot his friend a glare who only winked.

Sirius put an arm casually around Harry's shoulder and was going to read one handed. Ginny had one arm around Al's thin frame which is the hand Harry was now holding making Al smile to himself.

Sirius cleared his throat dramatically, making everyone turn silent to look at Sirius and cause James to stifle his laughter.

**Harry** **almost yelled out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.**

"That's a House Elf then?" asked Hermione curiously.

Teddy managed not to groan. He remembered Dad telling him all about SPEW and the torture he and Ron had to go through during school.

**Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning.**

**As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall.**

**"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?**

**The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes.**

"Not from a good family then." Sirius said sadly.

"They make him wear that?" asked Hermione, her eyes wide in horror.

"To 'put them in their place.'" said Sirius, his voice changing to a high pitch sound. Sirius' expression looked sour and Harry swore to ask Sirius about it later.

**"Er - hello," said Harry nervously**

**"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir ... Such an honor it is..."**

**"Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?"**

"Oh, no," groaned Sirius. "You're going to be too kind."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Hermione stubbornly.

"House elves are used to discipline and being thought of as dirt beneath people's shoes," said Lupin quietly. "Much like werewolves. House elves are thought of like servants."

Sirius sent his friend a look, reminding him that he was not grime under people's shoes, but Lupin ignored him. Tonks hesitantly took Lupin's hand and squeezed. Lupin looked at her surprised and squeezed hesitantly back. Teddy looked at the couple sadly. He was thankful that he had Harry, but he still wished he had gotten to know his real parents properly.

Hermione was staring at Lupin bewildered. "That's awful!"

Lupin was too distracted to comment and Sirius continued to read, a faint smirk on his lips.

**"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.**

**"Oh - really?" said Harry. "Er - I don't want to be rude or anything, but - this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom."**

**Aunt Petunias high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.**

"**Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"**

**"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir... it is difficult, sir ... Dobby wonders where to begin . . . ."**

**"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed**

A few people in the room groaned and Harry's face flushed.

**To his horror, the elf burst into tears - very noisy tears "S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never ... never ever. . .**

**Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything -"**

**"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard - like an equal-"**

**Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time,**

A few people snorted.

**ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccupping, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.**

**"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.**

**Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"**

"Th – that's horrible!" yelled out Hermione outraged, her hands clenched into fists.

The twins slowly moved away from her.

**"Don't - what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling**

**Dobby back onto the bed - Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.**

**"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir . . . ."**

**"Your family?"**

**"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir... DOBBY'S is a houseelf - bound to serve one house and one family forever...**

**"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously.**

**Dobby shuddered**

**"Oh, no, sir, no ... Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir _"**

"T – that's – that's…" Hermione seemed to be at a loss for words, her mouth opened in horror.

"Oh!" said Draco in surprise, as he remembered why the name "Dobby" sounded familiar.

Everyone turned to look at him, making him shift uncomfortably in his arm chair.

"Is there something you want to add, Malfoy?" said Hermione coldly.

Draco hesitated for once. Harry noticed that Malfoy hasn't been sneering as much as usual.

"Dobby was Draco's house elf." said Luna, looking at the ceiling as she twirled her wand through her fingers.

"WHAT!" yelled Hermione outraged.

"It's not usually me that punishes him." muttered Malfoy bitterly.

"Hermione," said Harry, studying Malfoy closely. "Drop it."

"But, Harry – "

Harry shot her look and Hermione's lips turned into a straight line as she tried to bite back a retort.

Malfoy was looking at Harry curiously. Why did Potter do that?

**"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?**

**"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets**

**Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments...**

**"But why don't you leave? Escape?"**

**"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free ... Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir..."**

**Harry stared. "And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks,"**

"You're not supposed to compare yourself to a house self," muttered Sirius.

Harry ignored him.

**he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human.**

A few people snorted.

**Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"**

**Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.**

**"Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here -"**

**"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby ... Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew...**

**Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she -"**

**But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.**

Hermione looked like she wanted to argue, but held it back with will power.

**"I-Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named -"**

"Voldemort?" said Harry.

"Harry," groaned Bill exasperated.

"What's wrong with saying Voldemort?" asked Al curiously.

A few people flinched and gasped. Al was looking more frustrated.

"They fear saying Voldemort's name in this time, Al," said James, rolling his eyes.

"But why?" demanded Al. "There's nothing wrong with saying Vol – "

"Just stop!" snapped Ron.

Tension seemed to be crackling in the air like electricity as Ginny and Ron did a stare down.

"Would you stop snapping at my children, Ronald?" said Ginny carefully, emphasizing each word.

"They're not your children yet!" said Ron exasperated.

"They're going to be!" countered Ginny.

Harry swore he could see electricity sizzling in Ginny's hair.

"You don't know that." argued Ron stubbornly.

James and Al were slowly backing away from their mother, knowing how she gets.

"Ron," said Teddy slowly. "Can I speak with you in the kitchen?"

A few people exchanged looks. Ron and Ginny looked surprised.

Ron shrugged and followed Teddy into the kitchen.

So fast that not even Al could have done it, Teddy had his wand pointed at Ron.

"Revalio Unforgivable." muttered Teddy quickly.

Ron went frozen and his eyes looked dazed.

"Knew Snape's spells were good for something," muttered Teddy to himself.

Teddy waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. He sighed. The spell was supposed to give the person a greenish glow if the said person was under the Imperius Curse.

Ron was starting to come out of his daze and his expression was looking angrier and angrier by the second.

"Obliviate," whispered Teddy. Ron went back to a dazed expression. "You will not remember that I had casted an enchantment," muttered Teddy quickly. "We had just walked into the kitchen and were about to have a talk."

Teddy quickly put his wand in his pocket and slowly Ron came out of his dazed look, blinked a few times, and then crossed his arms frowning.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"What is your problem?" said Teddy bluntly.

"Excuse me?" said Ron bewildered.

"You heard me." said Teddy grimly. "First the whole Hermione and Charlie deal – "

"That was the lo – " interrupted Ron angrily.

"And now it's with Ginny and Harry." continued Teddy as if Ron hadn't spoke. "And Ginny most certainly isn't under a love potion."

"I don't know, maybe Harry took a leaf out of Charlie's book," muttered Ron. Teddy pretended not to have heard.

"Why can't you just be happy for them?"

Ron thought about this. Why didn't he want them to be happy? Because they were in a happy relationship and he wasn't? That Harry could go out with any girl he wanted because of a cut on his forehead? That Ginny was probably only dating him for the money? That he wished he was the Mr. Famous Harry Potter?

Ron only shrugged his shoulders again.

Teddy hesitated. "There are three kids in there that mean the world to everyone in the future. If you're snapping at them, you're snapping at everyone."

Ron merely raised an eyebrow.

Teddy sighed, feeling very awkward about this conversation. He only wanted to see if Ron was under the Imperious Curse. "Don't act like this around the children. And Ron – " Teddy hesitated again. "Let Hermione go."

Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously at Teddy. He wished that his wand worked.

"I think I'm going to turn in early," said Ron, faking a yawn. "Night."

Ron stormed out of the kitchen making many people in the reading room jump when he slammed his bedroom door.

Teddy came out of the kitchen looking worried and tired. Lupin tilted his head, wondering what was going through his son's mind.

Teddy cleared his throat. "Let's continue shall we?"

Sirius slowly nodded, wondering what they had discussed in the kitchen. He picked up the book and continued to read.

**Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"**

**"Sorry" said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron -"**

**He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too**

**Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights "Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago ... that Harry Potter escaped yet again. "**

**Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears.**

**"Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later... Harry Potter must notgo back to Hogwarts."**

**There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

There was a similar silence in the Reading Room. Sirius looked very confused.

"This book is going to be better than the last one, right?" asked Sirius hopefully.

Harry grimaced making Sirius narrow his eyes. "Worse?" he said hoarsely.

Harry nodded making Sirius groan with despair.

"Why doesn't Ron ever tell me your adventures?" fretted Mrs. Weasley, shooting an anxious glance toward Ron and Harry's bedroom door.

"Probably didn't want to give you a heart attack," said Fred and George cheerfully.

Mrs. Weasley frowned.

**"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back - term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't belong here. I belong in your world - at Hogwarts."**

**"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."**

**"Why?" said Harry in surprise.**

**"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"**

Sirius groaned again. "Do you ever get a safe, boring, normal year?" asked Sirius quite seriously.

Harry thought about it. "Probably my third year."

Sirius rolled his eyes, a bit put off that everyone, even Remus had thought he had murdered James and Lily. It was insane! How could anyone kill sweet, fiery Lily and loyal and fellow prankster James?

**"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"**

**Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.**

**"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on - this hasn't got anything to do with Vol- - sorry - with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.**

**Slowly, Dobby shook his head.**

**"Not -not He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir -"**

**But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, was completely lost.**

As was everyone else.

**"He hasn't got a brother, has he?"**

A few people shivered at the horrible thought.

Ginny noticed that Al was almost asleep, which made her smile and nudge Harry's shoulder, making him smile also. Of course, she noticed wistfully, James was still practically jumping up and down while sitting.

**Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.**

**"Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing – you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"**

**Dobby bowed his head.**

**"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir – " Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper. "There are powers Dumbledore doesn't…powers no decent wizard…"**

**And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps.**

**A sudden silence fell downstairs.**

A few people in the reading room tensed up and there was a deafening silence.

**Two seconds later Harry, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!"**

**"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned.**

**"What - the - devil - are - you - doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Harry's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke…**

"Oh, cause _that_ was worth listening to," said Hermione, rolling her eyes.

**One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!" He stomped flat-footed from the room.**

**Shaking, Harry let Dobby out of the closet.**

A few people shot Harry side way glances; especially Hermione and Ginny. Whenever he was faced against something at Hogwarts he _never_ was shaking, nonetheless in _fear._ Was his uncle truly that bad?

Sirius was starting to shake, trying to control his anger. He imagined situations of meeting the Dursley's and giving them a piece of his mind; threatening them with magic. Sirius was now hiding a grin as different scenarios flitted through his head.

Lupin shot his friend a glance, and couldn't stop himself form smirking, knowing what was going through Sirius' head.

Bill, Charlie, and the twins grimaced knowing how bad Harry's uncle could get.

"**See what it's like here?" he said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got -well, I think I've got friends. "**

**"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly.**

Many eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"And how would he know about that?" asked James surprised.

**"I expect they've just been - wait a minute," said Harry, frowning. "How do you know my friends haven't been writing to me?"**

**Dobby shuffled his feet.**

**"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best -"**

**"Have you been stopping my letters?"**

**"Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid.**

**Dobby blinked anxiously up at Harry**

**"Harry Potter mustn't be angry... Dobby hoped ... if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him ... Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir...**

**Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.**

**"Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!"**

**"No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!"**

"Why didn't you lie?" asked James curiously.

Harry frowned. He was too anxious to see his friends letters, no coherent thoughts were going through his head.

Ginny shot James a look. "Not that you _should_ lie." revised James quickly, much to the amusement of the room.

**"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly.**

**Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.**

It was completely silent and Sirius' hand gripped the book tightly.

Even Snape was feeling slightly anxious for Potter.

**Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, ". . . tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear. . . "**

**Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear.**

**Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.**

**"No," croaked Harry. "Please ... they'll kill me...**

Sirius' other hand gripped Harry's shoulder tightly and room all waited with bated breath. Ginny was surprised that the invincible and courageous Harry Potter was feeling fear. How could he talk about it so casually now? How could Harry sit there with Lily on his lap so relaxed? Ginny gripped Harry's hand tighter and Harry couldn't help but feel loved right at this moment.

**At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over. ("Just our nephew - very disturbed meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs)**

**He shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left,**

"Harry, what did they do?" asked Sirius quietly, remaining strangely calm.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry lightly, cradling Lily casually for comfort in his arms as he remembered his stomach growling for hours on end and his Uncle… well… the past was the past.

The twins exchanged looks. They would never get Harry's bruises and scars out of their heads. They had been in quite a shock when they walked into Ron's bedroom looking for their Muggle cards when they saw Harry pulling on a long sleeve t-shirt his third night at the Burrow. Harry couldn't lie his way out of this one and after a half hour of promising not to tell… Harry told them the details of what's been happening at the Dursley's. For once, the twins were sullen for several reasons, but one was they knew Harry was down playing the major details of what happened and that's what frightened them the most.

**And handed him a mop. Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.**

**Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal - if it hadn't been for the owl.**

**Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke.**

**Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes.**

Everyone mentally gulped.

**"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on - read it!"**

**Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine.**

**As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).**

**We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.**

**Enjoy your holidays! Yours sincerely,**

**Mafalda HopkirkI**

**MPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE**

**Ministry of Magic**

"And the letter isn't at all inconspicuous in a Muggle home!" muttered Mrs. Weasley.

Dumbledore frowned. This was one minor reason why he had thought about becoming Minister of Magic, but all that power...Dumbledore grimaced.

**Harry looked up from the letter and gulped.**

**"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it… Slipped your mind, I daresay…"**

Sirius clenched his jaw, his black eyes glittering madly. Lupin felt the same way, but kept a passive expression upon his face.

**He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared.**

**"Well, I've got news for you, boy . ... I'm locking you up ... You're never going back to that school ... never ... and if you try and magic yourself out - they'll expel you!"**

**And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs**

"Keep your hands to yourself," muttered Ginny to herself.

**Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning**

"Why does it suddenly skip to the next day?" asked James curiously.

Harry looked away from the stares and no one wanted to answer or think about James' question.

**he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window.**

**He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.**

It was complete silence in the Room of Requirement. Harry's face flushed from all the stares.

"I – "

"Harry, don't speak," said Sirius quietly.

Harry looked at his God-father curiously. Sirius seemed to be slightly shaking with rage. Harry was at a loss of what to do. This was a few years ago. They didn't exactly lock him up like this all the time anymore.

James was slightly in shock, that his Dad went through this as was Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley couldn't speak. She was in shock. She had thought her sons were exaggerating.

"Harry, how long did you have to go through that?" asked Lupin quietly.

Harry tried to word his words carefully. "It was only for three days that year," said Harry quietly.

Lupin and Sirius exchanged looks. They had caught the words: _that year._ Did that mean this happened often?

"Only three days." repeated Ginny, without emotion.

"Yeah," said Harry uncomfortably.

Snape had a passive face, but strange emotions were running through his body at the moment. Was it pity? Remorse? Did he feel sorry for Potter? _Yes, _thought Snape bitterly, _yes he did. _

Draco had always thought that Potter wore that scar like a crown, but now…? He wasn't so sure.

Sirius was currently forming a plan of getting _out_ of the Room of Requirement and tying the Dursley's to a chair so when time restarted he could have a little chat with Harry's relatives.

Lupin already assumed what Sirius was thinking, and knew he should go along in case Sirius did anything rash… though it might be hard to control his own urges…

"You're not living there anymore." said Sirius quietly.

"I'm afraid that he will be," said Dumbledore quietly.

Everyone turned to look at the headmaster except for Snape. Snape knew why.

"Not if I can help it," said Sirius dangerously. He knew about the blood wards, but he didn't want to accept that was the only way to protect his God-Son.

It was like a tennis rally as Dumbledore and Sirius stared at each other and heads were looking back and forth to see what would happen next.

"I am sorry, Harry, but you will need to remain at the Dursley's every summer. You will understand soon."

Harry nodded, but he couldn't help feel a little disappointed.

"And you're just going to not even fight about it?" asked Ginny.

Harry sighed. What was the point? Whenever he tried running away from the Dursley's he was always found by _someone_ and directed back to the Muggles.

"Just continue reading Sirius," said Harry. "Please." He added.

Sirius nodded curtly and continued to read in a monotone voice.

**Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn't see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him.**

**What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it? Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he'd probably starve to death anyway.**

"How casual, Harry," snorted Hermione, not amused. She had wanted to argue with Harry, but she would ask him about it later. She knew how much he hated the attention.

**The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunias hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp.**

There were a few disgusted looks directed toward the book. The Weasley's that were in the room were now being thankful that they got three square meals a day.

**Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust.**

**"It's no good turning your beak up at it - that's all we've got," said Harry grimly.**

"I almost forgot about Hedwig," muttered Charlie to Bill.

Bill nodded.

**He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before the soup.**

**Supposing he was still alive in another four weeks, what would happen if he didn't turn up at Hogwarts? Would someone be sent to see why he hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let him go?**

"You wouldn't have been alive in four weeks," muttered Tonks angrily. Her hair turned a fiery red.

Teddy was keeping a passive face up. Dad had told him all about his abuse a few days ago, but hearing it in detail, hearing his actually thoughts at the time… it was difficult to wrap his head around it.

**The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep.**

**He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to his cage. People goggled through the bars at him as he lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. He saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Harry Potter is safe there, sir!" and vanished. Then the Dursleys appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at him.**

Harry's face flushed and most people grimaced.

**"Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone ... cut it out ... I'm trying to sleep . . . ."**

**He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window.**

**And someone was goggling through the bars at him: a freckle- faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone.**

**Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window.**

"And you didn't notice us?" said the twins, looking mockingly hurt.

Harry's lips twitched almost into a smile.

"I – I think we all need some rest," said Mrs. Weasley hurriedly.

Many nodded and got up to go to their directed rooms.

Ginny was holding Al's hand and Harry followed her into Teddy's room with Lily. James followed tiredly behind.

Immediately, James collapsed into the nearest bed and was soon snoring softly.

Ginny had Al next to James on the Queen size bed, and pulling the covers over him before kissing him softly on the forehead.

Harry was placing Lily in a tall crib and pulling the covers over her small frame. There even was a teddy bear that appeared and Lily was now cuddling with it with her thumb still in her mouth.

Harry had his arm around Ginny's waist as they watched Lily sleep and Harry knew to his very core he already loved his future children. Even James, who he _knew_ was going to give him gray hairs in the very future.

Harry kissed Ginny on the head and led them out of Teddy's bedroom.

"Is it weird I love them already, Harry?" asked Ginny quietly when the couple reached Ginny and Hermione's door. Everyone was gone in their bedrooms and Ginny's quiet voice seemed louder in the silence.

"No, not at all," said Harry quietly back.

Harry kissed her sweetly on the lips and too soon stepped back to go, not to Ron and Harry's bedroom, but to the Meeting Room. He was going to his first Occulemency lesson.

**Sorry for these author notes at the bottom of the fan fiction, but I just want to keep you guys updated and such! ((: Thanks for reading!**

**I know there are lots of people who like Ron, and there are lots of people who hate him. I am neither, but writing reviews over and over again about how I'm always bashing Ron isn't going to do anything. I'm sorry. I have this fan fiction already written past the second book, and if I change the Ron bashing I would be changing a lot of the story line. The Charmione thing, admittedly, can change, but even I don't know if that's going to happen since I only plan out the huge fun parts :D Not really sure if I'm being unfair? I don't know, I'm not used to these reviews since this was my first fan fiction.  
But for those being really supportive, thank you. Siriusly. ;)**


	22. Chapter 22: Occ Lessons

"Finally decided to show up?" sneered Snape, but it seemed to be lacking the usual menace as Harry stepped into the Meeting Room.

Harry didn't say anything as he studied the room. The table had been pushed back against the wall as was the chairs making the space between Snape and Harry more apparent.

Snape cleared his throat making him look back at Snape. Harry looked defiantly into his black beetle eyes, preparing himself for the ridicule, but it never came.

"You know why you're here," Snape said. "The headmaster and I have come to the agreement of teaching you Occlumency. I can hope you prove to be better at it than potions."

Harry waited for Snape's lips to curl into the usual sneer, but his face stayed impassive.

"Right," said Harry tersely.

Snape looked like he wanted to comment on Harry's manners but thought better of it.

"Now, Occlumency. As I told you a few days ago in this very room, this is to block your mind from the Dark Lord. It seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence."

Harry felt goose bumps rising on his arms.

"The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency – "

"What's that?"

"Patience, Potter," snapped Snape. "It is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind – "

"He can read minds?" said Harry quickly, dread filling him to his very core.

"You have no subtlety, Potter," said Snape snorting, not amused.

Harry frowned impatiently.

"**Only** Muggles talk of 'mind reading.' The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be pursued by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, **Potter**…**"** Snape looked like he wanted to add an insult, but thought better of it. **"It** is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at **Occlumency,"** _Like myself,_ added Snape to himself.** "Are** able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without **detection**.**"**

Harry felt a little lost and overwhelmed with all this information. It sounded like mind reading to Harry and it did not stop the dread from filling him even further.

"Could he know what we're thinking right now?"

"Hogwarts is guarded by many ancient spells and charms to ensure the bodily and mental safety of those who dwell within them," said Snape. "Time and space matter in magic, Potter. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency."

"But time has stopped and Vol – " Harry stopped seeing Snape's eyes narrow. "You-Know-Who isn't frozen."

Snape studied Harry closely, frowning to himself.

"The usual rules do not seem to apply with you, Potter. The curse that failed to kill you seemed to have forged some kind of connection between you and the Dark Lord. The evidence suggests that at times, when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable – when you are asleep, for instance – you are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The headmaster and I think it inadvisable for this to continue. He wishes me to teach you now to close your mind to the Dark Lord.**"**

Harry's pulse was quickening. But a few things didn't make sense.

"But I wasn't sleeping when I had the vision," said Harry quickly. "And why do you and Dumbledore want to stop it? I don't like it much," Harry grimaced. "But if it could save lives, like Mr. Weasley for instance who would have almost died in the future if I hadn't seen the vision, then wouldn't it be better to keep having these visions?"

Snape stared at Harry for a few moments, his arms crossed and frowning. Before the books, Snape would have assumed Potter wanted the visions for more attention, but now he hesitated.

When Snape spoke again it was slowly and deliberately, as though he weighed every word.

"It appears that the Dark Lord has been unaware of the connection between you and himself until time had stopped. Up untill now it seemed you have been experiencing his emotions and sharing his thoughts without him being any the wiser. However the most recent…visions of yours represented such a powerful incursion upon the Dark Lord's thoughts – **"**

"I saw inside the snake's heads, not his!" exploded Harry, so overwhelmed he thought he just might explode with information.

Snape narrowed his eyes dangerously for Harry interrupting, but Harry did not care at this moment if Snape was angry.

"How come I saw through the snake's eyes if it's Vold – You-Know-Who's thoughts I'm sharing?"

"I would believe that would be quite obvious." said Snape emotionless.

"I just wanted to know." muttered Harry.

"You seem to have visited the snake's mind because that was where the Dark Lord was at that particular moment," said Snape quietly. "He was possessing the snake at that time so you visioned that you were inside it too…"

"And he knew I was there?" asked Harry incredulously.

"It seems so," said Snape quietly. "And," added Snape before Harry could ask any more questions. "The Dark Lord has probably assumed this can work in reverse; that is to say, he has realized that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return…"

Harry felt ill, but he stood there and stared into Snape's cold black eyes.

"This brings us back to Occlumency."

Snape backed away into the back right corner near the table and pulled out his wand from an inside pocket of his robes and Harry couldn't help but tense up, but Snape merely raised the wand to his temple and place its tip into the greasy roots of his hair.

"But I thought you couldn't use magic in the Room of Requirement?" asked Harry hurriedly. Horrified that Snape could and may be the only one who was allowed.

"Dumbledore and I figured out this is the only room that magic can be used.**"** said Snape simply as he withdrew his wand and a silvery substance came away, stretching from temple to wand like a thick gossamer strand, which broke as he pulled the wand away from it and fell gracefully into a Pensieve Harry had not noticed was on the table, where it swirled silvery white, neither gas nor liquid. Twice more Snape repeated the gesture and without explanation made the Pensieve disappear**.**

"Stand up and take out your wand, Potter," said Snape, his wand pointed directly at Harry.

Harry was feeling extremely nervous not liking the fact his most disliked Professor was pointing a wand at him.

"You may use your wand to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of," said Snape.

"And – Er – what are you going to do?" asked Harry cautiously.

"I am about to attempt to break into your mind," said Snape softly. Harry gulped. "We are going to see how well you resist. You resisted, I heard, the Imperius curse…it is very similar to what you need to do now… Brace yourself, now… _Legilimens!"_

Harry's mind was blank on any spell to defend himself with and completely caught off guard; the room swam in front of his eyes and vanished, image after image was racing though his mind like a flickering film so vivid it blinded him to his surroundings…

He was five; watching Dudley riding a new red bicycle, and his heart was bursting with jealousy… He was nine, and Ripper the bulldog was chasing him up a tree and the Dursley's were laughing on the lawn…Ginny was lying in the Chamber of Secrets not moving and extremely pale… A hundred dementors were closing in on him beside the dark lake… his Uncle was getting nearer and nearer to him – his fists raised, murder in his eyes, he was starting to extend his fist forward… _No,_ thought Harry panicky, _no one can see that._ Crunching of bones could be heard as the fist continued to bash into Harry's small stomach when he was eleven… _NO!_

The Meeting Room had come back into view and he realized that he had fallen to the floor. He looked up at Snape, who had lowered his wand and was rubbing his wrist. There was an angry weal there, like a scorch mark.

"Did you mean to produce a stinging hex?" asked Snape quietly.

"No," said Harry bitterly, getting up from the floor.

"You let me get in too far. You lost control."

"Did you see everything I saw?" Harry asked quietly, looking at the floor, unsure if he wanted the question answered or not.

"Flashes of it," muttered Snape.

It was quiet for a few moments and Snape had the opportunity to show his disgust of Potter's uncle since Potter was looking down at the floor. Snape didn't believe he would get the image of Potter's abuse from his mind.

"Well, for a first attempt that was not as poor as it might have been," muttered Snape quietly, before raising his wand once more. "You managed to stop me eventually. You must remain focused. Repel with your brain and you will not need to resort to your wand."

"I'm trying," said Harry, trying to stop his shaking, as he looked back defiantly into Snape's face. "but you're not telling me how."

"Close your eyes."

Harry flashed the Potions Professor a wary look before doing so.

"Clear your mind, Potter," instructed Snape. "Let go of all emotion…"

But this was very difficult to do. He couldn't erase the images of a certain flashback and his irritation that he had to learn this. It was as if Snape had told him that Malfoy and him were to do a duet for the school song.

"Focus now," instructed Snape clearly.

Harry tried to the best of his ability to clear his mind…to erase all thought and emotion…

"On the count of three…one – two – three – _Legilimens!"_

A great black dragon was rearing in front of him… His father and mother were waving at him out of the mirror of Erisad… Cedric Diggory was lying on the ground with blank eyes staring at him…

"NOO!" moaned Harry, his vision coming back to him. He was kneeling on the ground, his face buried in his hands, his brain aching and pulsing.

"Get up!" ordered Snape. "Get up! You need to _focus._ You are handing me weapons, weapons that would be useful to the Dark Lord! Up!"

Harry stood up again, his heart thumping wildly, the image of Cedric seared into his brain. He noticed Snape was looking frustrated and extremely pale.

"I – am – trying- " grunted Harry, rubbing his scar.

"Empty yourself of – "

"I AM!" exploded Harry.

"You are not!" said Snape dangerously. "You are easy prey for the Dark Lord! He will penetrate your mind with ease!"

"I am trying." said Harry angrily, his irritation at his Professor increasing with every breath he took.

"Then prove it! Master yourself!" demanded Snape. "Control your anger, discipline your mind! Again! _Legilimens!"_

He was watching Uncle Vernon hammering the letter box shut… Dobby was banging his head with Harry's lamp in his bedroom… He was running along a windowless passage with the man he had attacked in his vision…they were drawing nearer to the plain black door at the end of the corridor…Harry was expecting to go through the door, but the man was leading him off to the left, down a flight of stone steps…

"ALRIGHT!" yelled Harry.

He was on all fours again in the Meeting Room; his scar was starting to prickle. He pushed himself up again to find Snape's wand slightly lowered looking at him intently.

Harry was thinking rapidly back to the vision when he was the snake. The same words coming to him again. The Ministry of Magic. Why, though? He had the feeling this was deep under the Ministry. Probably the lowest floors.

"What happened then, Potter?" Snape asked, still staring at Harry intently.

"What is hidden in the Ministry of Magic? What is the Order guarding?"

Snape was looking unnerved and Harry wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

"And why," said Snape slowly. "would you ask such a thing?"

"Because," said Harry, slightly panting as he watched Snape closely. "that corridor I've just seen – I've been dreaming about it off and on all summer and then it was the same corridor I – Vol – You-Know-Who attacked that man and tried to get past the door." Harry was talking very fast, desperately trying to piece the facts together.

Snape hesitated. "There are many things in the Ministry, Potter, and none concern you, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," said Harry, still rubbing his prickling scar, which was becoming more painful.

"I want you back here same time the day after tomorrow, and we will continue this lesson."

"Fine," said Harry curtly, his mind filled with so much information, the pain from his scar increasing.

"You are to rid your mind of all emotion every night before sleep – empty it, make it black and calm, you understand?"

"Yes," said Harry who was too preoccupied to really be listening.

"I will know when you haven't practice," said Snape curtly, and then seemed to have hesitated. "A – and if you want – need – me to make a calming draught for your sleep, just ask,"

To Harry it seemed that Snape was having an inner struggle to seem civil, but Harry, strangely, was glad for the attempt.

Harry nodded and quickly left the room, his hand rubbing his scar furiously.

He entered Bill and Charlie's room unexpectedly making the two Weasley's jump, but Harry seemed to not have noticed. Harry was still rubbing his forehead vigorously and sat down on the floor looking through the papers of the love potions instructions without really seeing it. Harry didn't even notice that there were three beds instead of two in Bill and Charlie's bedroom and that Harry's belongings were at the end of the new bed.

"Harry?" asked Charlie concerned. To Bill and Charlie, Harry looked very pale, feverish, and his scar seemed to stand out more than usual.

"Where were you?" asked Bill, also concerned.

"Occlumency with Snape," said Harry bitterly.

Charlie and Bill exchanged looks, knowing a few bits about the subject.

"Give me a minute," said Bill, getting up and going to a desk. Bill closed his eyes and a cauldron, Muggle stove top, and various ingredients appeared on a desk in one corner of the room.

Harry watched Bill's back curiously for a few minutes.

"Was it bad?" asked Charlie, making Harry's eyes flick to Charlie.

"It wasn't exactly what I expected." said Harry truthfully.

Charlie nodded in understanding.

"Give me a second, Harry," said Bill, slightly panting.

Harry nodded and Charlie and him looked through the papers, once in a while clarifying information with the other, but otherwise silent. Harry was trying to keep the words from blurring into each other as the pain in his scar refused to stop.

"Done!" said Bill suddenly and handed Harry a flask with a strange silvery liquid in it, Harry didn't have much time to study it when it was directed toward Harry's lips. Harry downed the liquid quickly. It was bitter, but soon it was as if Harry had downed a sweet cup of hot chocolate or Butterbeer. The pain in Harry's scar started to numb.

Harry looked questionably at Bill.

"Calming draught," said Bill simply. "Potions was one of my better subjects."

Harry nodded his thanks.

"Have you lot found out anything different?" asked Bill curiously as he sat down on the floor with Harry and Charlie.

"Daddy?"

The three men quickly looked up to see a tired looking Lily, who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as her small mouth formed into an "o" as she yawned.

"Lily," said Harry surprised. "What are you doing up?"

Lily only shrugged, came over to Harry and sat on his lap.

Bill and Charlie were a little startled, but Harry didn't think much of it.

"What are you doing?" asked Lily sleepily.

"Looking through papers." said Harry.

Lily just looked at him. Harry sighed.

"Your Uncle Ron claimed that your Aunt Hermione was under a love potion to start liking Uncle Charlie."

Lily nodded seriously much to the surprise of the people in the room.

'I wanna help!" said Lily with determination.

"Your mother would strangle me in my sleep if she knew you were up and I agreed to this," mused Harry.

"Then you don't tell her," said Lily exasperated, making Charlie and Bill chuckle.

Harry sighed in defeat; Lily had started pouting and her bright emerald eyes were looking pleadingly at Harry. He wondered if his future self was ever able to be immune to this. Probably not.

"If anything…strange appears in these papers, let one of us know, okay?" said Harry to Lily who nodded enthusiastically.

An hour later it turned out Lily was more helpful than they originally thought.

"Daddy, what is a Lu – " Lily was struggling on saying the word . "Luci…" Lily was looking more frustrated.

"Just point to the word," said Harry kindly.

She did and Harry's breath stopped and he wordlessly passed and pointed the parchment around. The three men exchanged looks.

_Lucius._

The next morning, earlier than Mrs. Weasley usually awakened, Hermione had gotten up to take a long, relaxing shower. A half hour later she had wrapped herself in a white puffy towel and was making her way out of the bathroom until she ran into someone.

"Sorry," blurted Hermione, but her eyes widened as she realized who she ran into. She started blushing furiously as she looked up to see none other than Charlie Weasley carrying his toothbrush and towel looking surprised.

"Er – " said Charlie at a loss for words on how to make this less awkward. Hermione was only wearing a towel that reached mid-thigh and her long wet hair curled past her shoulders. Her face was red with embarrassment. Charlie stepped back a few feet, and could feel his face heating up also.

"This isn't exactly the right time to talk, but since you're here," started Hermione awkwardly, thankful that Charlie had backed up. "I – I'm not sure that you really gave me the love potion," muttered Hermione. "I believe that you wouldn't do that."

Charlie would not have believed that Hermione had just said that if it wasn't for the fact he saw her lips moving, forming the words.

"Really?" asked Charlie caught off guard.

Hermione nodded shyly.

"That's great," said Charlie softly, smiling slightly, craving and wanting to hold her again.

Hermione was feeling the same cravings of being safe in Charlie's arms. Charlie hesitantly took the few steps forward and wrapped Hermione in a hug. Hermione was surprised, but hugged him back and sighed content. Then she realized she was still only in a towel. She stepped back, blushing furiously again. Charlie grinned sheepishly, also realizing the same.

"Meet at this time again, tomorrow?" asked Charlie cautiously.

Hermione nodded, smiling.

They side-stepped each other and exchanged quick smiles before both went their separate ways.

They hadn't realized there had been a dark figure lurking in the shadows watching the exchange.

**Okay, yes, I know a lot of this (the Occ. Explaining by Snape) was JKR and wasn't in bold, but I wasn't really sure **_**how**_** to bold it without it getting confusing. I thought about changing how he describes Occ., but obviously JKR explains it better than anyone. So, I just bolded the quotation marks… hope that was alright with everyone since I sorta felt guilty copying that much of JKR without bolding. **

**The Lucius deal will be explained better in the next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading((: **


	23. Chapter 23: The Burrow

Once again, the smell of food wafting from the kitchen reached everyone's noses as they tiredly got up and walked slowly to the kitchen. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, ham; all jumbled together on plates, making many stomachs grumble in protest.

There was light laughter and chit chat and for once Harry felt completely normal. Well, as normal as one Wizard can be.

Teddy, Lily, James, and Al were talking quietly to each other, which consisted of a pouting Lily and stern Teddy.

"But – "

"No, Lily," said Teddy frowning.

"Teddy…" whined Lily; her lips trembling.

Teddy winced. He hated it when Lily did this. "Scorpius is not coming to the Reading Room."

Lily was now standing, but no one noticed because of her short stature. She put her hands on her hips defiantly and jutted out her lower lip. She blinked her emerald eyes rapidly.

Teddy groaned. "I – I'll think about it,"

A wide grin appeared on Lily's face making Teddy's heart sink. James and Al were snickering at Teddy who only glared at them before attacking his eggs with his fork grumpily.

"Harry," asked Hermione curiously after a few moments. "Where were you last night? I didn't see you in yours and Ron's bedroom."

Harry stopped in mid-chew and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Charlie, Bill, Ginny and Snape had also.

Harry tried to look casual as he swallowed. "Just went into the Meeting Room to think," said Harry lightly, feeling slightly guilty that he had to lie to his best friend. He would have to tell her. She _was_ his best friend no matter what Snape said against it.

Hermione, on the other hand, was remaining stubborn. "But early in the morning I – I was going to ask you something and you weren't there."

Those who weren't aware of what happened in the Room of Requirement last night and that Harry had switched rooms were looking more and more curious about Hermione and Harry's conversation.

"He was taking remedial Potions with me," said Snape quietly before the situation could get out of hand.

Everyone turned to look at the Professor, but Snape did not look up from his breakfast. Harry looked relieved that Snape had just saved him from answering, but wished that it didn't make him feel more pathetic.

"Oh," said Hermione, slightly confused. She didn't think he was _that_ horrible at potions. Something just didn't fit.

Sirius and Lupin exchanged looks, having a funny feeling there was something going on.

"Should we continue reading then?" asked Bill quickly.

There were a few nods of agreement and the plates and silverware had magically washed themselves and zoomed back into the cupboards.

Lily had skipped over to Harry cheerfully and was now holding his hand as people made their way over to the reading room.

Malfoy was feeling envious that Potter had all his friends here and Malfoy was stuck with Snape.

"Blimey, Malfoy, what am I doing here?"

Everyone stopped to stare at a young Blaise Zabini who was looking like he was in shock at being here. He was wearing Muggle clothes and his light brown skin seemed to stand out more.

"Hello, Blaise," came Luna's voice, which sounded very cheery.

"Oh, Hi Luna!" said Blaise happily and went forward to hug the blonde girl.

A few people felt frozen with the exchange. A Ravenclaw and a Slytherin were hugging?

Blaise ruffled Luna's hair. "We've been long-distant neighbors since we were four," explained Blaise, before winking at Luna.

"Er – " said Ginny, her mouth opened in shock, not aware that Luna and Blaise were on good terms.

Harry, slightly nervous, had no misunderstandings with Blaise and came over to shake his hand to everyone else's amazement.

"Blaise!" yelled Lily happily before bounding over and giving the Slytherin a hug around the legs. Blaise looked at the little girl surprised, before picking her up and swinging her around. Lily was giggling uncontrollably.

"And what's your name gorgeous?" asked Blaise with a wink as he raised her high up in the air.

"Lily Luna Potter," said Lily grinning

"Potter?" asked Blaise raising an eyebrow as he set Lily back on the ground. "Aren't you a bit young for children, Potter?"

Harry's face reddened.

"Er – this is actually my daughter from the future," said Harry, not quite sure how to put it.

"OI, you going to leave us out, Dad?" said James haughtily pointing at him and Al.

Blaise's eyebrows went further up his forehead.

"Great, more Slytherins'," said Ron, rolling his eyes before sitting down in an arm chair when he noticed Blaise.

"How do you know Blaise, Lily?" asked Ginny curiously since Lily was still giggling as she gripped Blaise's leg who was half-heartily trying to shake her off making her giggle more.

Lily opened her mouth and then closed it abruptly and stared at Teddy for permission, finally letting go of Blaise to jump on Teddy, who caught her with ease.

Teddy sighed and then spoke directly to Blaise. "You're Lily's God-father,"

Mouths popped open in shock.

Blaise looked bewildered. "I'm honored that you chose someone without red hair and that is extremely spiffy, Potter, but why me?"

"It's mostly who your wife is, Blaise," said Teddy, his hair turning turquoise making Blaise jump.

Malfoy and Blaise then exchanged looks. They hadn't thought Blaise would actually settle down with someone.

"And no more hints," added Teddy, smirking.

Malfoy nodded his head to the kitchen for Blaise to follow so he could fill him in on what's been happening with Saint Potter.

Snape took advantage of the distractions as everyone started talking amongst themselves.

"Black, a word?" said Snape coldly to Sirius who looked at him with suspicion, but slowly nodded and followed him into the Meeting Room.

Only Lupin and Harry saw them leave.

"What do you want?" asked Sirius flatly.

"I've been giving Potter Occlumency lessons and – "

"YOU'VE BEEN WHAT?" shouted Sirius furiously.

Snape glared and Sirius continued to rant before Snape could attempt to explain.

"WHY IN MERLIN'S BEARD ARE YOU GIVING HARRY OCCLUMENCY LESSONS? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME? WHAT THE BLOODLY HELL IS GOING ON?

Snape merely narrowed his eyes dangerously. "If you hadn't interrupted me with your hot balloon sized shaped head, I could have answered your question," said Snape coldly as his lips curled into almost a sneer.

Sirius clenched his jaw and waited.

"Potter needs Occlumency to stop the Dark Lord from penetrating his mind. I – Dumbledore fears that Harry could eventually be possessed and the Dark Lord will be able to see what is going on from Potter's perspective."

Sirius paled, his lips were white. He noted belatedly that Snape had called Harry by his first name. How strange.

"That was not the reason why I wanted this _fascinating _chat," sneered Snape, getting slightly nervous and starting to regret telling Black this. "You are aware how lessons for Occlumency is?" asked Snape without emotion and continued on before Sirius could open his mouth. "I saw bits and pieces of Potter's childhood," Snape abruptly stopped talking.

Sirius went paler, if that was even possible. "You saw his uncle."

It wasn't a question.

Snape gave a curt nod, his hands clasped behind his back.

Sirius' face looked pained. Why _his_ God-son? What did Harry ever deserve to go through any of that? Sirius had images whirling through his mind of scenarios of Harry being "punished." Sirius felt rather ill.

Sirius hadn't even noticed Snape had left the room until the door slammed making him jump. This made Sirius start to ponder: Why did Snivillus bother to tell him this in the first place?

Once Malfoy and Blaise reentered the Reading Room everyone settled down into their chairs from yesterday except Blaise sat in between Luna and Malfoy.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Should we continue reading?"

There was a chorus of agreement.

Hermione picked up the book and cleared her throat.

"**The Burrow**,"

Malfoy wanted to groan. Great, he got to hear about the Weasley's poor life now instead of Potters.

**"Ron." breathed Harry, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars.**

"The bars?" asked Blaise curiously.

Bill quickly explained what has happened so far in the second book.

Blaise looked at Harry curiously.

**"Ron, how did you - What the -?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in midair**

"Brilliant!" said Sirius grinning.

Mrs. Weasley started muttering under her breath.

**Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.**

**"All right, Harry?" asked George.**

**"What's been going on?" said Ron. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles -"**

"You could have had this conversation later," groaned Sirius.

The three Weasley's blushed.

**"It wasn't me - and how did he know?"**

**"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school -"**

**"You should talk," said Harry, staring at the floating car.**

**"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with -"**

**"I told you, I didn't - but it'll take too long to explain now look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'Il think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so -"**

**"What, you think we flew all that way to ask why you used magic in front of the Muggles?" asked George, grinning. **

**Fred was also grinning.**

Fred and George grinned.

**"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you home with us."**

**"But you can't magic me out either -"**

**"We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me."**

There were a few chuckles and a few shakes of heads of admiration.

**"Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.**

**"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry **

"Wouldn't be surprised," muttered Sirius, his anger from what Snape had told him still fresh in his head.

Lupin gave his friend a curious glance, but Sirius merely shook his head.

**as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.**

**"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."**

**Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent. **

"Brilliant owl," said Charlie kindly.

Harry grinned, knowing how much that was true.

Hermione was smiling to herself, but when she caught Ron looking at her the smile quickly dropped.

**The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom.**

"Constant Vigilance," said Tonks and winked at Harry.

**When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.**

**"Get in," Ron said.**

**"But all my Hogwarts stuff - my wand - my broomstick -"**

**"Where is it?"**

**"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room -"**

"Who knew that was where he used to sleep," muttered Fred to George, who nodded in agreement.

**"No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry."**

**Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Harry, as George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock. **

**"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."**

Molly smiled to herself, thinking of her husband's fascination with Muggle contraptions.

**There was a small click and the door swung open.**

**"So - we'll get your trunk - you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," whispered George.**

**"Watch out for the bottom stair - it creaks," Harry whispered back **

Sirius nodded. It was always bloody good to know those tiny details.

**as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.**

**Harry dashed around his room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough.**

**At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.**

**Uncle Vernon coughed again.**

**"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push -"**

**Harry and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.**

"You were strong for your age," said George casually. George had been surprised at the time that a mere skinny twelve year old could push a trunk with that much force.

Harry's face flushed slightly.

**"Okay, let's go," George whispered.**

**But as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

**"THAT RUDDY OWL!"**

**"I've forgotten Hedwig!"**

Charlie groaned. Bill patted his brother on the back, looking amused.

**Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on - he snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. He was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door and it crashed open.**

**For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.**

Sirius growled rather loudly making the whole couch vibrate.

**Ron, Fred, and George seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.**

**"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"**

**But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp - Harry was in the car - he'd slammed the door shut.**

**"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.**

**Harry couldn't believe it - he was free. He rolled down thewindow, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window.**

**"See you next summer!" Harry yelled.**

**The Weasleys roared with laughter **

A few people laughed, imaging what it would have looked like to a bunch of Muggles.

**and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear.**

**"Let Hedwig out," he told Ron. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."**

**George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost.**

**"So - what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"**

**Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished.**

**"Very fishy," said Fred finally.**

**"Definitely dodgy" agreed George. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"**

**"I don't think he could," said Harry. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."**

**He saw Fred and George look at each other.**

**"What, you think he was lying to me?" said Harry.**

**"Well," said Fred, "put it this way - house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"**

**"Yes," said Harry and Ron together, instantly.**

**"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."**

Harry glanced at Malfoy who looked very pale and his mind somewhere else. Harry tilted his head, trying to figure out what going through the Slytherin's head.

**"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"**

**"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry.**

The Weasley's and Blaise all snorted, which made them look each other surprised.

**"I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."**

A few people heard Blaise grunt, which they took as confirmation.

**"And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung - Dad reckons he was right in You- Know-Who's inner circle."**

Harry grimaced, remembering the graveyard last summer.

**Harry had heard these rumors about Malfoy's family before, and they didn't surprise him at all. Malfoy made Dudley Dursley look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy.**

**"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf," said Harry.**

"Only ten," muttered Malfoy, but Hermione heard.

"WHAT?!" screeched Hermione.

Malfoy winced, not forgetting his third year what the Mudblood did to him.

"Mio – Hermione, rich wizarding families usually have houselves," explained Charlie hurriedly. "It's like a servant or a maid," he continued, thinking hard as he tried to remember the one year he took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts.

Hermione looked frustrated, but bit her lip and continued to read.

**"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred.**

**"Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing," said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house . . . ."**

**Harry was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; hecould just see Malfoy strutting around a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do. Had Harry been stupid to take Dobby seriously?**

"I haven't seen him in years," muttered Malfoy to himself. Father had told him the elf had gone rogue.

Harry, strangely, wanted to laugh as he remembered the expression on Lucius' face when Dobby said he was now a free elf. But thinking of Lucius, meant thinking of the hidden note in the papers of the love potion. When Harry, Lily, Charlie, and Bill looked closer at the paragraph with Lucius' name last night they found a hidden message.

_There will be a traitor among you…Lucius._

But why should Harry believe that Lucius is being helpful? Why should he trust Lucius at all? Maybe the future one was different? But that didn't explain why Teddy and his future self were so worried about him.

Harry shivered and goosebumps appeared on his arm. He trusted almost everyone in this room and he felt a twinge of guilt when his mind drifted over to Ron. They were fighting, but they had in the past with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Surely they would get past this, right?

**"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Ron. "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first-"**

**"Who's Errol?"**

**"Our owl. He's ancient. **

There were a few nods in agreement.

**It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes -"**

**"Who?"**

**"The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," said Fred from the front.**

**"But Percy wouldn't lend him to me," said Ron. "Said he needed him."**

**"Percy's been acting very oddly this summer," said George, frowning. "And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room ... I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge ... **

Fred and George nodded and Percy scowled.

Harry was curious why everyone was being rude to Percy. Did something happen over the summer? Why didn't he notice this before?

**You're driving too far west, Fred," he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel.**

**"So, does your dad know you've got the car?" said Harry, guessing the answer.**

**"Er, no," said Ron, "he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it."**

A few people snorted at the children's naïveté.

**"What does your dad do at the Ministry of Magic, anyway?"**

**"He works in the most boring department," said Ron. **

"Don't let your father hear you saying that," said Mrs. Weasley disapprovingly.

Ron blushed.

**"The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."**

**"The what?"**

**"It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare - Dad was working overtime for weeks."**

**"What happened?"**

**"The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic - it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office -and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up -"**

**"But your dad - this car -"**

**Fred laughed. "Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad."**

**"That's the main road," said George, peering down through the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes ... Just as well, it's getting light . . . ."**

**A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east.**

**Fred brought the car lower, and Harry saw a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees.**

**"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole."**

**Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.**

**"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the first time at Ron's house.**

**It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.**

**"It's not much," said Ron.**

**"It's wonderful," said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.**

Mrs. Weasley blushed.

**They got out of the car.**

**"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, `Mum, look who turned up in the night!'"**

Almost everyone couldn't hold in a chuckle.

**and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car."**

**"Right," said Ron. "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the - at the top…"**

**Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheeled around.**

**Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.**

Mrs. Weasley and Sirius frowned.

**"Ah, "said Fred.**

**"Oh, dear," said George.**

**Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket.**

**"So, "she said.**

**"Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.**

**"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.**

**"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to -"**

**All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.**

**"Beds empty! No note! Car gone - could have crashed - out of my mind with worry - did you care? - never, as long as I've lived - you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy -"**

**"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred.**

**"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job -"**

**It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away.**

Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a weak chuckle. "I don't bite,"

Sirius muttered something under his breath that made Mrs. Weasley give him an icy glare.

**"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Come in and have some breakfast."**

**She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her.**

**The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was ascrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before.**

**The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts - It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."**

"Ugh," said Tonks, shivering. "Molly, her voice is horrible!"

Mrs. Weasley looked at Tonks bewildered. "She's only the greatest singing – "

"But she is horrid," insisted Tonks, her nose scrunching up. "And Ballena Merlina should have won the Witching Hour contest."

Mrs. Weasley's nose now scrunched up. "She was so outrag – "

Bill cleared his throat and the two witches shot each other glares.

Lupin put his arm around Tonks who seemed to relax slightly.

Everyone was looking slightly amused.

**Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know what you were thinking of," and "never would have believed it."**

**"I don't blame you, dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. "Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really," (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate) "flying an illegal car halfway across the country - anyone could have seen you -"**

**She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.**

**"It was cloudy, Mum!" said Fred.**

**"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.**

**"They were starving him, Mum!" said George.**

**"And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him.**

**At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.**

**"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."**

Ginny started blushing rapidly, remembering her younger years when she fancied the famous Harry Potter to an extreme.

Harry only chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders. This did not help Ginny's blush.

**"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.**

**"Blimey, I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and -"**

**"You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again -"**

**"Oh, Mum -"**

**"And you two," she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. "You can go up to bed, dear," she added to Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car -"**

**But Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming -"**

**"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject –"**

"Did I hear that right?" inquired Sirius.

"What?" asked Hermione frowning.

"She's not talking about Gilderoy Lockhart," said Sirius, his face showing amusement.

Harry groaned as he remembered writing letters to Lockharts' fans for detention and constantly be given advice to stretch his fame.

Hermione nodded, her lips twitching almost into a smile.

Sirius groaned. "Bloody remember him back in Hogwarts. The ladies couldn't get enough of him, but" added Sirius cheerfully. "I was voted the highest award to win the ladies," Sirius wiggled his eyebrows comically and Lily giggled and crawled onto Sirius' lap.

"You forgot the most dim-witted," murmured Lupin to Tonks who laughed as her hair changed from blonde to bubblegum pink.

Sirius looked unfazed as he whispered into Lily's ear making her giggle.

**And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned.**

**"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden -"**

**Harry looked at the cover of Mrs. Weasley's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests. There was a big photograph on the front of a very good looking wizard **

"Not you too, Harry," groaned the twins.

**with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, who Harry supposed was Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking cheekily up at them all. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him.**

**"Oh, he is marvelous," she said. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book . . . ."**

**"Mum fancies him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper.**

**"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."**

**Yawning and grumbling, the Weasleys slouched outside **

"Sorry," muttered Harry guiltily which made Ginny hit his arm with a disapproving look.

"Don't feel guilty for something so little," said Ginny frowning. But of course taking Harry away from the Dursley's wasn't a little matter at all. It was quite big since Harry could have quite as well died from starvation. Ginny tightened her grip on Harry's hand making him smile to himself.

Ron was starting to glower.

**with Harry behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursleys wouldn't have liked it - there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.**

**"Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ronthey crossed the lawn.**

**"Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods . . . ."**

Hermione snorted.

**There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, and Ron straightened up. "This is a gnome," he said grimly.**

**"Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome.**

**It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down.**

**"This is what you have to do," he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. **

Hermione looked shocked.

**Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, "It doesn't hurt them - you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnomeholes."**

**He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge.**

**"Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump."**

**Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. He decided just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off - until**

**"Wow, Harry - that must've been fifty feet…"**

"Impressive," commented all the Weasley's, making Harry's face redden.

**The air was soon thick with flying gnomes.**

**"See, they're not too bright," said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once. "The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put."**

**Soon, the crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched.**

**"They'll be back," said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. "They love it here ... Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny . . . ."**

Mrs. Weasley started muttering to herself as she now knew why the gnomes never left.

**Just then, the front door slammed.**

**"He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!"**

**They hurried through the garden and back into the house.**

**Mr. Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.**

**"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned ...**

Harry suddenly recalled his most recent summer at Privet Drive remembering that he had been constantly watched without his knowing. Harry glowered at the floor.

**Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed.**

**"Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.**

**"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness ...**

**"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George.**

**"Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it ... Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking - they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face ... But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe -"**

**"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"**

**Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.**

**"C-cars, Molly, dear?"**

**"Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly."**

**Mr. Weasley blinked.**

**"Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if - er - he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth ... There's a loophole in the law, you'll find ... As long as he wasn't intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn't -"**

**"Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. **

Sirius laughed as did many others.

**"Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly!"**

**"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?"**

**He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.**

"Arthur told me how much you looked like James," said Mrs. Weasley, looking amused.

**"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about -"**

**"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night."shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"**

**"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I - I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that - that was very wrong, boys - very wrong indeed…**

Everyone laughed.

**"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom."**

**They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging upthrough the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.**

**"Ginny," said Ron. "You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally -"**

Ginny glared at her brother, a blush still visible on her cheeks.

Ron merely glared back.

**They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM.**

**Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realized that Ron had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically.**

**"Your Quidditch team?" said Harry.**

**"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, **

Many looked at Ron.

"You need to find a new team, Ronniekinns," said the twins.

Ron crossed his arms and glared.

**pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."**

"Eleventh, now," coughed Fred, slightly smirking.

Everyone bit back a chuckle.

**Ron's school spellbooks were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seemed to feature The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. **

Draco wouldn't dare admit it, but that was his favorite comic when he was younger. Malfoy looked a bit disgusted with himself.

**Ron's magic wand was lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn on the windowsill, next to his fat gray rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing in a patch of sun.**

**Harry stepped over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the tiny window. In the field far below he could see a gang of gnomes sneaking one by one back through the Weasleys' hedge. Then he turned to look at Ron, who was watching him almost nervously, as though waiting for his opinion.**

**"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning… **

**But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in." Ron's ears went pink.**

Ron's ears went pink again and Mrs. Weasley looked flattered.

"That's the end of the chapter," said Hermione, glad that this chapter didn't end so badly like others. "Who wants to read next?"

Tonks clumsily got up to take the book and stumbled over her own feet. Lupin caught her around the waist before she could fall making the young witch blush rapidly.

Teddy was smirking.

Tonks was still blushing as she sat back down on the couch with the book.

She cleared her throat and said in a voice a little higher than usual. "**Flourish and Blotts."**


	24. Chapter 24: Flourish and Blotts

"**Flourish and Blotts**," read Tonks.

"This is when you were in Knockturn Alley, wasn't it, dear?" fretted Mrs. Weasley.

"Er – " Harry put a hand through his hair nervously.

"What's Knockturn Alley?" asked Lily curiously.

"That's where the cemetery is now, Lily," explained Al.

"Oh," said Lily quietly.

"Cemetery?" asked Sirius, his head tilted in confusion.

"Continue reading, To – Mum," said Teddy quickly.

Tonks merely nodded and Lupin was studying his son more closely.

**Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. Harry got a shock the first time he looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece and it shouted, "Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!" The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. **

The Weasley twins had identical grins stretched across their faces.

**What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him.**

A few people frowned.

**Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force him to eat fourth helpings at every meal. Mr. Weasley liked Harry to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could bombard him with questions about life with Muggles, asking him to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked.**

**"Fascinating." he would say as Harry talked him through using a telephone. "Ingenious, really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along without magic."**

**Harry heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after he had arrived at the Burrow. He and Ron went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. **

"How adorable," gushed Charlie with a smirk.

Ginny glared at him but he remained unfazed. "Shut up, Char-Bear!" she growled.

Charlie merely winked at his little sister.

Harry was having a coughing fit from trying not to laugh.

**Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him.**

**"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry - doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas.**

**For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Harry's told him to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books he'd need for the coming year.**

**SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:**

**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2by Miranda Goshawk**

**Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart **

**Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart **

**Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart **

**Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart **

**Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart **

**Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart**

"He really needs that many books?" asked Sirius with a roll of his eyes.

**Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Harry's.**

**"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch."**

**At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade.**

**"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive ...**

**"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."**

**"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.**

**She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. **

Many stifled their laughter as Ginny's face blushed scarlet.

**Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest.**

**"Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day."**

**He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a molting, gray feather duster - at least, that was what Harry thought it was, until he saw that it was breathing.**

**"Errol!" said Ron, taking the limp owl from Percy and extracting a letter from under its wing. "Finally - he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys."**

**He carried Errol to a perch just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Errol flopped straight off again so Ron lay him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then he ripped open Hermione's letter and read it out loud:**

**Dear Ron, and Harry if you're there,**

**I hope everything went all right and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl because I think another delivery might finish your one off.**

**I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course' – "How can she be?" said Ron in horror. "We're on vacation!' - and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley?**

**Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Love from Hermione. **

"Love, eh?" asked Tonks winking, clueless of the love triangle that seemed to be taking place.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably in his armchair, trying not to be possessive when she wasn't even his.

Ron was hiding a smirk and Hermione's cheeks went pink.

**"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs. Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?"**

**Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high.**

**They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead they threw apples for one another to catch. They took turns riding Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom; Ron's old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies.**

A few people snorted, ignoring the Weasley's obvious embarrassment.

**Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over their shoulders. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them, but he had said he was busy. Harry had only seen Percy at mealtimes so far; he stayed shut in his room the rest of the time.**

**"Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning. "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O. W. L.s and he hardly gloated at all."**

**"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," George explained, seeing Harry's puzzled look. "Bill got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Head Boy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame."**

"Being Head Boy is not shameful," ranted Mrs. Weasley outraged. "It's a great honor for the family!"

The twins shook their heads sadly at their mother's cluelessness.

**Bill was the oldest Weasley brother. He and the next brother, Charlie, had already left Hogwarts. Harry had never met either of them, but knew that Charlie was in Romania studying dragons and Bill in Egypt working for the wizard's bank, Gringotts.**

Charlie sighed. He missed his dragons dearly. Then a thought came to mind: maybe dragons would take his mind off of Hermione? Bill was studying his brother closely and suddenly shoved him off the couch.

"OI!" yelled out Charlie angrily getting back up on the couch

"Don't even think of that Charlie Arthur Weasley!" said Bill dangerously.

Charlie glared and then looked at the floor.

There was a pregnant pause that was broken shortly from Tonks' reading.

**"Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George after a while. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginny needs robes and a wand and everything…"**

Mrs. Weasley blushed.

**Harry said nothing. He felt a bit awkward. Stored in an underground vault at Gringotts in London was a small fortune that his parents had left him. Of course, it was only in the wizarding world that he had money; you couldn't use Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in Muggle shops. **

"That's a disaster," groaned Tonks and explained further when Harry looked at her confused. "Before working for the Order and being an Auror, my job was obliviating the Muggles," explained Tonks. "It's amazing how many idiots run amuck in the Wizarding world." Tonks shook her head sadly.

**He had never mentioned his Gringotts bank account to the Dursleys; he didn't think their horror of anything connected with magic would stretch to a large pile of gold.**

**Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside.**

**"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today... Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"**

**And she offered him the flowerpot.**

**Harry stared at them all watching him.**

**"W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered.**

**"He's never traveled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot."**

**"Never?" said Mr. Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"**

**"I went on the Underground -"**

**"Really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Were there escapators? How exactly –"**

"Escalators," whispered Hermione to herself, looking amused.

**"Not now, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before -"**

**"He'll be all right, Mum," said Fred. "Harry, watch us first."**

**He took a pinch of glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames.**

**With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Fred, who stepped right into it, shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished.**

**"You must speak clearly, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Harry as George dipped his hand into the flowerpot. "And be sure to get out at the right grate…"**

**"The right what?" said Harry nervously as the fire roared and whipped George out of sight, too.**

"Something's going to go wrong," groaned Sirius.

**"Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly -"**

**"He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," said Mr. Weasley, helping himself to Floo powder, too.**

**"But, dear, if he got lost, how would we ever explain to his aunt and uncle?"**

**"They wouldn't mind," Harry reassured her. "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don't worry about that -"**

**"Well ... all right ... you go after Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going **

**"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron advised.**

**"And your eyes shut," said Mrs. Weasley. "The soot -"**

**"Don't fidget," said Ron. "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace -"**

**"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George."**

"I think we might have overwhelmed you, Harry," said Ron grinning, acting like his usual self.

Harry grinned back.

**Trying hard to bear all this in mind, Harry took a pinch of Floo powder and walked to the edge of the fire. He took a deep breath, scattered the powder into the flames, and stepped forward; the fire felt like a warm breeze; he opened his mouth and immediately swallowed a lot of hot ash.**

**"D-Dia-gon Alley," he coughed.**

A few people groaned, making Harry blush.

"I remember when I used Floo Powder for the first time," said James grinning. "I ended up in McGonagall's chimney at Hogwarts,"

Al and Lily laughed remembering.

"Minerva has her own chimney?" asked Lupin quietly.

"Er – she got one put in - in the Transfiguration room," stuttered James, not completely lying, laughing nervously.

Lupin looked at them with suspicion making Teddy want to groan in frustration.

**It felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to be spinning very fast - the roaring in his ears was deafening -he tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him feel sick - something hard knocked his elbow and he tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning - now it felt as though cold hands were slapping his face - squinting through his glasses he saw a blurred stream of fireplaces and snatched glimpses of the rooms beyond - his bacon sandwiches were churning inside him - he closed his eyes again wishing it would stop, and then he fell, face forward, onto cold stone and felt the bridge of his glasses snap.**

Harry groaned as he felt like he was going to be sick. Was the room spinning?

"Harry?" asked Hermione worriedly.

"Keep reading, Hermione," urged Ginny worriedly, gripping Harry's hand tighter.

Hermione continued to read faster.

**Dizzy and bruised, covered in soot, he got gingerly to his feet, holding his broken glasses up to his eyes. He was alone, but where he was, he had no idea. All he could tell was that he was standing in the stone fireplace of what looked like a large, dimly lit wizard's shop - but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list.**

**A glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion, a bloodstained pack of cards, and a staring glass eye. Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lay upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. Even worse, the dark, narrow street Harry could see through the dusty shop window was definitely not Diagon Alley.**

**The sooner he got out of here, the better. Nose still stinging where it had hit the hearth, **

Very out of character, Ginny kissed Harry on the nose making the black-haired wizard blush scarlet. Ginny bit back a grin, along with many others.

James and Al scrunched up their noses at their parent's affection for each other. Lily was grinning ear to ear.

Ron's expression was blank.

**Harry made his way swiftly and silently toward the door, but before he'd got halfway toward it, two people appeared on the other side of the glass - and one of them was the very last person Harry wanted to meet when he was lost, covered in soot, and wearing broken glasses: Draco Malfoy.**

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. Potter was there?

**Harry looked quickly around and spotted a large black cabinet to his left; he shot inside it and pulled the doors closed, leaving a small crack to peer through. Seconds later, a bell clanged, and Malfoy stepped into the shop.**

**The man who followed could only be Draco's father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical cold, gray eyes. Mr. Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco."**

**Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present."**

**"I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father, drumming his fingers on the counter.**

**"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous ... famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead . . . ."**

**Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls.**

**". . . everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick -"**

**"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. **

Draco had a pink tinge to his cheeks.

**"And I would remind you that it is not - prudent - to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear - ah, Mr. Borgin."**

**A stooping man had appeared behind the counter, smoothing his greasy hair back from his face.**

**"Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Borgin in a voice as oily as his hair. "Delighted - and young Master Malfoy, too - charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced -"**

**"I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling," said Mr. Malfoy.**

**"Selling?" The smile faded slightly from Mr. Borgin's face.**

**"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids," said Mr. Malfoy, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unraveling it for Mr. Borgin to read. "I have a few - ah - items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call ..."**

"Thank goodness Arthur isn't here," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

**Mr. Borgin fixed a pair of pince-nez to his nose and looked down the list.**

**"The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?"**

**Mr. Malfoy's lip curled.**

**"I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Muggle Protection Act - no doubt that flea- bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it – "**

There were a few growls reverberating around the room from the Weasley's. Draco was trying to make himself look smaller.

**Harry felt a hot surge of anger.**

**"- and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear -"**

**"I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Borgin. "Let me see. . ."**

**"Can I have that?" interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.**

**"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Malfoy's list and scurrying over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."**

**"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," said Mr. Malfoy coldly, and Mr. Borgin said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offense meant -"**

**"Though if his grades don't pick up," said Mr. Malfoy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for -"**

**"It's not my fault," retorted Draco. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger -"**

**"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Malfoy.**

"OI!" said almost everyone angrily, Charlie being a bit louder than Ron.

Hermione blushed. "It's fine," she said quietly.

"It is not," disagreed Charlie softly.

Hermione's blush darkened. "Thanks," she whispered.

**"Ha!" said Harry under his breath, pleased to see Draco looking both abashed and angry.**

**"It's the same all over," said Mr. Borgin, in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere -"**

**"Not with me," said Mr. Malfoy, his long nostrils flaring.**

**"No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Mr. Borgin, with a deep bow.**

**"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Mr. Malfoy shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today -"**

**They started to haggle. Harry watched nervously as Draco drew nearer and nearer to his hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Draco paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals, Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed - Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date.**

A few disgusted looks were aimed at the white-haired Slytherin.

**Draco turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward - he stretched out his hand for the handle**

**"Done," said Mr. Malfoy at the counter. "Come, Draco -"**

**Harry wiped his forehead on his sleeve as Draco turned away.**

**"Good day to you, Mr. Borgin. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."**

**The moment the door had closed, Mr. Borgin dropped his oily manner.**

**"Good day yourself, Mister Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your manor…**

Ginny noticed that Blaise frowned and was whispering in Malfoy's ear. Malfoy was looking impassive, but there was a certain panicky look in his eye. What did that mean?

**Muttering darkly, Mr. Borgin disappeared into a back room. Harry waited for a minute in case he came back, then, quietly as he could, slipped out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out of the shop door.**

**Clutching his broken glasses to his face, Harry stared around. He had emerged into a dingy alleyway that seemed to be made up entirely of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. The one he'd just left, Borgin and Burkes, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of shrunken heads and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with gigantic black spiders. Two shabby-looking wizards were watching him from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other. Feeling jumpy, Harry set off, trying to hold his glasses on straight and hoping against hope he'd be able to find a way out of here.**

"Not the greatest place for you to be, Harry," said Neville darkly.

**An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told him he was in Knockturn Alley. This didn't help, as Harry had never heard of such a place. He supposed he hadn't spoken clearly enough through his mouthful of ashes back in the Weasleys' fire. Trying to stay calm, he wondered what to do.**

**"Not lost are you, my dear?" said a voice in his ear, making him jump.**

**An aged witch stood in front of him, holding a tray of what looked horribly like whole human fingernails. She leered at him, showing mossy teeth. Harry backed away.**

**"I'm fine, thanks," he said. "I'm just -"**

**"HARRY! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?"**

"Hagrid," sighed Sirius, Lupin, and Molly relieved.

**Harry's heart leapt. So did the witch; a load of fingernails cascaded down over her feet and she cursed as the massive form of Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, came striding toward them, beetle-black eyes flashing over his great bristling beard.**

**"Hagrid!" Harry croaked in relief. "I was lost - Floo powder -"**

**Hagrid seized Harry by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away from the witch, knocking the tray right out of her hands. Her shrieks followed them all the way along the twisting alleyway out into bright sunlight. Harry saw a familiar, snow-white marble building in the distance - Gringotts Bank. Hagrid had steered him right into Diagon Alley.**

**"Yer a mess!" said Hagrid gruffly, brushing soot off Harry so forcefully he nearly knocked him into a barrel of dragon dung outside an apothecary. "Skulkin' around Knockturn Alley, I dunno dodgy place, Harry - don' want no one ter see yeh down there -"**

**"I realized that," said Harry, ducking as Hagrid made to brush him off again. "I told you, I was lost - what were you doing down there, anyway?"**

**"I was lookin' fer a Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent," growled Hagrid. **

Draco was not looking forward to the Weasley's wrath as he remembered when Weaselbee had tried to curse him for calling Granger a Mudblood.

**"They're ruinin' the school cabbages. Yer not on yer own?"**

**"I'm staying with the Weasleys but we got separated," Harry explained. "I've got to go and find them . . . ."**

**They set off together down the street.**

**"How come yeh never wrote back ter me?" said Hagrid as Harry jogged alongside him (he had to take three steps to every stride of Hagrid's enormous boots). Harry explained all about Dobby and the Dursleys.**

**"Lousy Muggles," growled Hagrid. "If I'd've known -"**

"They would be six-feet-under," muttered Fred to his twin.

"Literally and hypothetically," agreed George.

**"Harry! Harry! Over here!"**

**Harry looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her bushy brown hair flying behind her.**

**"What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid - Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again - Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?"**

**"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," said Harry.**

**"Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said with a grin.**

**Harry and Hermione looked around: Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.**

**"Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far .**

**He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic - she's coming now -"**

**"Where did you come out?" Ron asked.**

**"Knockturn Alley," said Hagrid grimly.**

**"Excellent." said Fred and George together.**

**"We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.**

"I would hope not," growled Mrs. Weasley.

The twins and Ron exchanged nervous looks. In Ron's third year they had snuck down into Knockturn Alley to take a quick peek. Hopefully, Harry hadn't caught them.

**"I should ruddy well think not," growled Hagrid. **

**Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other. "Oh, Harry - oh, my dear - you could have been any where -" Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away. Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses, gave them a tap of his wand, and returned them, good as new. **

Sirius was feeling rather jealous and saddened. Molly and Arthur were good people and he was grateful Harry had them, but he still wished it was him who had taken Harry to shop for school supplies, to buy his first broom, teach him how to duel… Now, wherever he would go, he would be named a criminal. What he would give to be given a fair trial and be proven innocent.

Teddy was looking at Sirius sadly. He knew what happens in Harry's current year and that Sirius was still considered a criminal. Teddy's eyes lit with determination. He would have Kingsley listen to what happened in the third book near the end so there was one trusted Ministry witness.

**"Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley ("Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!"). "See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street. **

**"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father." **

**"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" said Mr. Weasley sharply behind them. **

**"No, he was selling – "**

**"So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something…"**

**"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew -" **

**"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.**

**"But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.**

A few people chuckled at Mr. Weasley's antics.

**"Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.**

**The vaults were reached by means of small, goblin-driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. Harry enjoyed the breakneck journey down to the Weasleys' vault, but felt dreadful, far worse than he had in Knockturn Alley, when it was opened. There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside, and just one gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag. Harry felt even worse when they reached his vault. He tried to block the contents from view as he hastily shoved handfuls of coins into a leather bag.**

The Weasley's were blushing and Malfoy was looking at them and at Harry a little bewildered. He knew the Weasel's were poor, but not _that _poor. And he was willing to bet Potter would've given the Weasley's half his fortune if they would have asked for only a galleon. It made Draco slightly guilty that he was such a prat, but immediately straightened in his chair when Blaise turned to look at him. He was a rich, pure-blood, Slytherin. He shouldn't be feeling sorry for Blood traitors and poor people.

**Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.**

**"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver, and bronze jangling cheerfullyin Harry's pocket was clamoring to be spent, so he bought three large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, which they slurped happily as they wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows. Ron gazed longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies until Hermione dragged them off to buy ink and parchment next door. In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks, and in a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains they found Percy, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called Prefects Who Gained Power. **

**"`A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers, " Ron read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds fascinating . . . ."**

A few people snorted.

**"Go away," Percy snapped. "'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out ... He wants to be Minister of Magic. . . " Ron told Harry and Hermione in an undertone as they left Percy to it. **

Percy blushed.

**An hour later, they headed for Flourish and Blotts. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:**

**GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.m. to 4:30 P.m.**

Sirius groaned.

**"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"**

**The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harrassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies ... Don't push, there ... mind the books, now . . . . "**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione squeezed inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.**

**"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute…"**

Mrs. Weasley blushed at the looks she was receiving.

**Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.**

**A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.**

**"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet -"**

**"Big deal," said Ron, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.**

**Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ronand then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be Harry Potter?"**

**The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys.**

Now that Malfoy had heard a bit about Harry's thoughts… he didn't think Potter enjoyed being the center of attention.

**"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."**

"_Worth_ the front page?" asked Bill curiously. "What does that exactly imply?"

No one answered.

**When he finally let go of Harry's hand, Harry could hardly feel his fingers. He tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side.**

**"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!**

**"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography -which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge-" The crowd applauded again. "He had no idea," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"**

**The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron.**

**"You have these," Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own -"**

"Oh, Harry, dear, I didn't know you had done that!" said Mrs. Weasley slightly shocked, amazed that Harry was so kind and thoughtful.

Harry's face reddened at the looks he was receiving.

Ginny remembered this. She had begun to look at Harry in a new light; instead of being the famous Harry Potter she had started to notice his personality: how kind and courteous he was. She had started to realize Harry hated his fame when he noticed how he always tried to escape the wrath of Lochart and then blushed like mad. At that young age of eleven she had felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she was near him. The butterflies to this very day never went away.

Ginny gave Harry a side-way glance and blushed when she noticed Harry was doing the same. They both grinned.

**"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer.**

**"Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."**

**"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy.**

**"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Lockhart's books.**

Harry at this age hadn't been interested in relationships (he had been only twelve after all), but he wished he would've noticed Ginny's personality earlier; wished that he talked to her more often.

**"Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"**

**"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."**

**Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket.**

**"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."**

**"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley."**

**It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.**

**"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.**

**"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids ... I hope they're paying you overtime?"**

**He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.**

**"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"**

**Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.**

Many people were looking angrier and angrier as Hermione read.

**"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.**

**"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley ... and I thought your family could sink no lower -'**

**There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf.**

"Good for him!" said Sirius and Tonks approvingly.

**Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!" the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please - please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all**

**"Break it up, there, gents, break it up -"**

**Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.**

**"Here, girl - take your book - it's the best your father can give you -" Pulling himself out of Hagrid's grip he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop.**

**"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," said Hagrid, almost lifting Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that - no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter - bad blood, that's what it is - come on now - let's get outta here."**

"Bad blood?" questioned Harry frowning to himself.

Malfoy and Blaise looked at Harry surprised.

**The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, the Grangers shaking with fright and Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury.**

**"A fine example to set for your children . . . brawling in public . . . what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought -"**

**"He was pleased," said Fred. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report - said it was all publicity -"**

"Of course," muttered almost everyone.

**But it was a subdued group that headed back to the fireside in the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry, the Weasleys, and all their shopping would be traveling back to the Burrow using Floo powder. They said good-bye to the Grangers, who were leaving the pub for the Muggle street on the other side; Mr. Weasley started to ask them how bus stops worked, but stopped quickly at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face.**

**Harry took off his glasses and put them safely in his pocket before helping himself to Floo powder. It definitely wasn't his favorite way to travel.**

"Well that's the end of the – " started Hermione, but was cut off as Ginny gasped.

Before anyone could question her she had hurriedly pulled Harry into the Meeting Room.

"Ginny – what - ?"

"The charm wore off," said Ginny simply, her eyes raking Harry's body making Harry feel as if he was under a microscope.

Harry suddenly stiffened as he looked down at himself, seeing the familiar abrasions that graced his body.

Harry looked away from Ginny's gaze and sat down in a chair with a sigh, putting a hand through his hair slightly nervously.

Ginny sat down in the opposite chair as if she was in a trance. Harry had a thin scar that was not on his forehead nor shaped like a lightning bolt, but a ragged angry scar that went down his right cheek. Ginny saw many scattered and small bruises on Harry's neck, which looked suspiciously like pudgy fingerprints. Ginny scooted her chair closer to Harry her attention still rapt on Harry's bruises. Their knees were now touching.

With shaky fingers she reached for Harry's shirt.

"I – I don't think you should see those, Ginny," said Harry, his voice shaking, his hands gripping hers to stop her from reaching his shirt.

Ginny and Harry's eyes locked onto each other.

"I need to see them, Harry," said Ginny softly, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

Harry's face looked pained.

Ginny traced the long scar that graced Harry's face with the tip of her fingers making Harry shiver.

"When did this happen?"

Ginny wasn't expecting an answer as she continued to softly graze the scar with her thumb.

"It was right after the Dementor attack," said Harry quietly, making Ginny momentarily stop tracing his face, but continued after a second. Ginny discreetly gulped, not sure if she wanted to hear this. She took his hand and led him to an opposite wall and they sat down on the floor. Ginny was under Harry's arm, her arms around his waist as she buried her face into his chest. Harry was brushing Ginny's hair with thin nimble fingers. It seemed to calm him.

"After I fought the dementors off and carried Dudley back to the Dursley," started Harry quietly. "They blamed me for bringing the dementors to their neighborhood and making Dudley ill. My U – Uncle was really angry an – and grabbed – " Harry clenched his jaw.

Ginny was glad Harry could not see her face which was still buried against his chest. She never heard Harry sound so dark, never heard his voice sound so shaky.

"H – he grabbed a nail from a junk drawer and – " Harry couldn't continue as he put his head against the wall and closed his eyes as he took deep breaths.

"I'll kill them," whispered Ginny. She was wanted to leap up in anger and kick everything in sight.

Harry chuckled weakly and took Ginny's chin between his forefinger and thumb and was surprised to see tears sparkling in her eyes. He had never seen her cry before.

"When I'm seventeen," said Harry softly. "Two more years and I can leave."

"I don't want you to live there anymore," said Ginny defiantly, her eyes flashing.

Harry smiled sadly and brushed the tears away with his other hand as he looked softly into Ginny's bright brown eyes.

Harry didn't say anything for quite a while as they stared at each other.

Harry slowly leaned down making Ginny close her eyes and more tears to cascade down her face. Harry kissed her sweetly and softly on the lips before gripping Ginny to his side and laying his cheek on top of her head.

Ginny noticed that the Room of Requirement had laid a blanket on the ground with the Gryffindor colors and she and Harry laid down on the floor still holding each other close.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes and Ginny knew that she would have fallen asleep if thoughts weren't buzzing around in her head.

Ginny stomach churned and she wanted to throw up as the image of a rusty nail being pierced into Harry's cheek protruded into her head.

Ginny's grip on Harry tightened and Harry just felt so… relieved. It was one thing for the twins to see his scars and bruises, quite another for Ginny to know.

Ginny slowly sat up and stared down at Harry who was looking at her with a slight smile on his face. She couldn't understand why he wasn't sad or angry.

His smile tilted down when she saw Ginny eyeing his shirt. He sighed. "You can look if you want, Ginny."

Ginny looked back at Harry's face and saw his eyes were closed and breathing deeply.

With shaky fingers Ginny pulled up Harry's shirt timidly and immediately wanted to retch.

Cuts of all shapes and sizes were etched onto Harry's stomach. Bruises scattered like freckles across the faint trace of abs. His ribs were defined and Ginny wanted to cry some more when she noticed that the random etches of cuts were not random at all.

_Worthless._

_Unwanted._

Her blood froze when she noticed the third word.

_Murderer. _

Ginny gagged and turned her eyes away from the words and focused on the bruises. She touched them softly with her finger. Some looked old: yellowish, while others looked black and purple.

She looked back at Harry's face to see his eyes were now open, gazing at Ginny frowning.

"Don't cry," said Harry, sitting up; pulling his shirt down. He pulled her frozen body onto his lap and cradled her to his chest. Being this intimate with someone else was so foreign to Harry, but at the same time, felt so right.

"I'm not crying," sniffed Ginny.

Harry weakly chuckled and kissed the top of Ginny's head.

Harry and Ginny sat there for quite a while, neither wanting to move.

Ginny knew at that moment that she was completely in love with this black-haired Wizard and knew that she would never allow him to go back to the Dursleys if it was the last thing she ever did.

**Sorry if this chapter was slightly dark near the end, but I felt it was a great scene for a "Ginny and Harry moment."**

**Thank you so much for reading!(:**

**(I love the next chapter btw XD)**


	25. Chapter 25: To Get What Was Coming

"Daddy?"

Harry and Ginny looked up to see Lily closing the Meeting Room door behind her with wide eyes.

Harry quickly hid his face in the crook of Ginny's neck, not wanting his future daughter to see him this way.

"Not right now, Lily," said Ginny softly.

Lily jutted out her bottom lip and stomped her foot. "I wanna see Daddy, Mummy!"

"I understand that," said Ginny calmly. "But not right now." It was still so foreign to be called a mother.

Lily bit her lip and walked slowly back to the door. She went on her tip-toes to grab the handle and suddenly, before Ginny could inhale, Lily had run back to them and was on all fours on Harry's lap.

"Lily!" said Ginny, half amused and half disapprovingly.

"Daddy?" questioned Lily seriously.

"Hm?" came Harry's muffled answer, tickling Ginny's skin.

"I've already seen it," said Lily softly.

Harry head shot straight up to look at Lily bewildered.

"But – how - ?"

"I – " Lily bit her lip again. "Grown up Daddy doesn't know I do," said Lily quickly. "But I went into Daddy's study without asking and he came in and I hid under his desk – " Lily's lips were trembling and she started talking even faster. "I saw him point his wand at his face and the scar appeared on your cheek a – "

Harry didn't need to hear more as he cradled Lily to his chest and drenched his shirt silently with tears.

Harry sighed. So many tears over him; he felt guilt eating away inside him.

"Lily?" asked Harry quietly.

Lily looked up, her face slightly flushed and her eyes bright. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Can you go get Uncle Fred and George?"

Lily looked a little confused, but nodded slowly before getting up and racing to the door.

"Harry – what - ?" asked Ginny confused.

"You can use magic in this room," explained Harry quietly. "Fred and George can cover up my bruises and cuts. The cuts and bruises appeared so suddenly because I did it myself with one of the twin's creations that only lasts temporarily. I'm not so good with the spell yet."

Ginny nodded in understanding just as the door opened to reveal Fred and George; both looking grim, quite out of character for the usually joyous twins. Lily trudged behind them and closed the door.

Fred and George both looked disgusted at Harry as they took in the new cut on his cheek.

"Blimey, Harry, when did this one happen?" asked Fred frowning as the twins kneeled in front of Harry and Ginny.

"A few days ago," said Harry and then hesitated. "It was from a nail."

Fred and George both looked very angry. "Damn Muggles," they muttered under their breath.

"You can use magic in this room and I didn't do a well job covering them up, so…" Harry trailed off, not having to finish his sentence.

Fred and George both nodded. "Stomach first, Harry," said George, nodding his head to Harry's shirt.

"You should leave Ginny, so we can protect your innocence," teased Fred dryly, not really in the mood for jokes.

"Also to make sure no one comes in," added George before Ginny could protest.

Ginny narrowed her eyes for being assigned watch-dog duty, but complied. She kissed Harry softly on the cheek before clenching Lily's hand and leaving the room.

As Fred and George got to work, Sirius was going bonkers with worry in the Reading Room since no one was telling him what was going on.

"Ginny, I am his God-parent giving me the privilege of knowing," said Sirius sternly, very unlike himself.

"And I am your mother," added Mrs. Weasley frowning.

Ginny clenched her jaw. "Harry wants to be alone," she grounded out.

"With the twins?" asked Ron, just as confused as everyone else.

"Yes, with the twins," said Ginny, already annoyed with everyone in this room.

Charlie and Bill exchanged looks. Harry had already told them about the abuse and that the twins disguised them. They came to the same conclusion that the cuts and bruises must have appeared.

Snape, Malfoy, and Blaise were even looking confused and curious as the argument continued.

"Lily," said Sirius suddenly, turning to the little red head that was on Ginny's lap with tear marks on her face. "What did Ha – your Dad want with the twins?"

"I don't know!" cried Lily frustrated.

"Why is Har – your dad hiding?" fired off Sirius.

"Sirius, ple – "

Ginny was cut off by Sirius' hand. "Lily, answer me!" thundered Sirius.

"Sirius," said Lupin quietly, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Lily looked overwhelmed and bit her lip harder. "I – I – "

"LILY!"

"Just showing his scars!" yelled out Lily before clapping her hands to her mouth in horror.

"Scars?" questioned Sirius dangerously.

Lily gulped.

Sirius rounded on Ginny. "What does she mean 'showing his scars?' said Sirius sourly.

Ginny's denial faltered as she saw how bad Sirius was shaking and before she could stop him he had gone toward the Meeting Room.

Sirius didn't mean to snap at Ginny and especially Lily, but he _hated_ being left in the dark. Not knowing. Like he had been all summer. A flash of anger surged through him towards Dumbledore, but he clenched his jaw before reaching the Meeting Room door and let the anger wash away; anxiety replacing it.

Sirius' mouth felt dry as he turned the knob.

Harry looked up expecting it to maybe be Ginny; the last person on his mind was it to be Sirius Black.

Sirius froze in the entryway of the Meeting Room. His brain not comprehending what was really in front of him. One of the twins had a wand pointed at Harry's face whom looked relatively calm laying on the floor. He saw a long, jagged scar that ran across Harry's right cheek until a twin said something and it vanished. The other twins' wand was pointed at Harry's stomach and after muttering something, dark spots that was once on there disappeared. The facts slowly whirled through Sirius mind. The dark spots were _bruises._ The scar was _by force._ Sirius could only see red as he started shaking.

Harry was frozen and so were the twins as they stared at Sirius who at first looked petrified, but now was starting to shake, his face transfigured from shock to anger.

"Sirius," started Harry, getting up from the ground. "I can explain – "

"I'll kill them!" spat out Sirius and with a _crack_ he was gone.

Sirius had disaparated without realizing it.

Lupin walked into the Meeting Room with his eyebrows raised. "What's going on? Where's Sirius?"

"Disaparated," said the twins faintly, looking at the spot where Sirius vanished with wide eyes.

"Disaparated," repeated Lupin, looking bewildered.

"He saw t –the scars and bruises," said Harry faintly.

Lupin's mouth formed a small 'o'.

"You should probably catch Sirius, before he has a real reason to be in Azkaban," advised George.

Lupin simply nodded and with a _crack _he was gone.

Harry and the twins walked out of the Meeting Room looking very bewildered.

"What's happened?" asked Tonks immediately. "Where's Remus and Sirius?"

"Gone," said Harry and he continued by explaining the situation to them, being very vague, the twins noticed, on Harry's injuries.

When Harry finished, many looked shocked, confused and worried as they started talking amongst themselves.

Teddy was currently struggling to get the Galleon out of his pocket.

When Teddy achieved this, he whispered "_Harry Potter_" into the galleon.

"Teddy?" came a voice immediately, very eerily familiar, from the galleon.

Teddy threw the galleon in the air and just like last time it stayed.

An older version of Harry was looking at them all worriedly.

"Teddy, what's going on?

"Sirius disaparated," said Teddy, looking very worried. "He was in the Meeting Room," he added seeing older Harry looking confused.

Understanding flashed through Harry's eyes. "Why did S – Sirius disaparate?"

"Er – " Teddy hesitated. "Sirius walked in while the twins were _helping_ you," he said finally, looking at older Harry seriously.

"Ah," said Harry faintly, looking panicky. "Did Lupin go after him?"

Teddy nodded.

Older Harry look relieved.

"But, what about time being stopped?"

Older Harry froze. "Hold on." Harry walked away and everyone could hear muffled talking.

A few moments later, Harry returned. "According to Hermione," He looked at someone to his right. "If anyone left the Room of Requirement, Time restarts."

There were a few exasperated groans.

Present Harry was feeling panicky. Time has restarted? Does that mean Voldemort can continue to kill people? Was the man that was attacked by the snake alive? Did that mean his court appearance was soon approaching? Was Sirius going to be in Azkaban? Harry sunk deeper into the couch as questions spiraled in his brain.

Sirius was currently sitting on a brick wall in his animagus form, much like a cat that was reading a map fourteen years before. The shaggy black dog that was Sirius was studying what was the Dursley's house. A metal wagon, a car if he can recall, was in their driveway meaning that they were home. Sirius had noticed people walking on sidewalks and the metal wagons driving down roads went he first aparated behind a tree. Somehow Time had been restarted and he had the feeling it was his fault. Sirius would've felt guilty, but the anger rolling inside him was the main focus.

Sirius heard a muffled _crack_ and didn't even need to look away from the Dursley's house to know it was Remus.

"Padfoot," said Lupin quietly, sitting next to the shaggy black dog. "Leave the Dursley's alone."

Sirius shook his furry head, his eyes locked onto a rather large man with a beefy neck that had stepped into view of the window.

"Everyone's worried, _Harry's_ worried."

Sirius allowed himself a quick glance at his friend who looked rather grim before shaking his head again.

Lupin sighed quietly.

To outsiders and Muggles alike it would look very strange and unnatural for a man to be sitting on a brick wall conversing with a dog that had neither collar nor leash.

"I'm rather surprised you haven't barged into the Dursley's home, just yet," said Lupin after a few moments.

Sirius cocked his head and gave his friend a look.

"Padfoot," sighed Lupin, looking more serious. "If you go in there and murder the Muggles, Harry has no one. You'll go to Azkaban."

This made Sirius whine to himself. He wanted revenge, but at the expense of his God-son's happiness of never seeing him if he was caught...

"We'll talk to them," said Lupin finally, looking determined as he jumped down from the wall.

Sirius looked down at Remus surprised.

"Do I need to tell you to '_come'_ like a dog, Padfoot?" said Lupin, his lips twitching almost into a smile.

Sirius huffed and jumped down from the wall to be by Lupin's side.

Man and dog started walking across the street to the plain house that Harry Potter lived in unnoticed by many. Lupin glanced at Sirius once more before using the knocker to make themselves known to the residency that they had company.

A tall and very thin woman appeared at the door wearing an unsightly salmon dress narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the sight in front of her. She immediately looked disgusted when she noticed there was a dog sitting on the welcome mat.

"What do you want?" asked Petunia sharply, her beady eyes flicking to the neighbors' windows.

Sirius didn't bother waiting, instead padded into the too clean house.

Petunia let out a shriek of outrage that made many window curtains twitch across the street.

"Get that filth out of my house!" shrieked Petunia Dursley.

Lupin calmly followed Sirius into the house, making Petunia look even more outraged as he closed the door behind him.

"Petunia, dear, what's going on?" thundered an approaching deep voice that slowly made an appearance.

The large man with the beefy neck that Sirius had seen from the window came into view that looked rather intimidating to an outsider compared to a very thin and tired looking Lupin.

"Who the ruddy hell are you?" thundered Vernon Dursley, his face looking rather purple.

Petunia sprinted to her husband and stood behind him, looking frightened.

"Hello," said Lupin stepping forward, making them step back. "My name is Remus Lupin."

"You, sir, have no business in our home," snarled Vernon. "Get out before I call the police!"

Lupin sighed and reached into his pocket for his wand. The Muggles' eyes immediately zoned in on the piece of wood that they've always feared.

Lupin flicked the wand making the curtains close and the door to lock.

"This is concerning the living conditions of Harry Potter," said Lupin calmly.

The two Dursley's exchanged panicked looks. "There is no such person living here!" squeaked Petunia.

"And what a stupid name that is," added Vernon, clenching his fists.

Lupin's eyes hardened. Sirius couldn't take anymore of this rubbish. He changed back to his human self making the two Dursley's yell out in surprise and stumble back hitting the kitchen table.

"I think we need to have a talk," said Sirius, clenching his jaw and fists. Sirius pointed his finger to a room with a couch and two arm chairs. "Move to that room, now."

They Dursley's didn't move; their eyes now focused on Sirius' wand that he had just taken out. Sirius took a step forward and growled, making the Dursley's jump and quickly back away into the living room.

"Sit," ordered Sirius. The Dursley's sat down very close to each other on the love seat, their eyes flicking back and forth between the two men's wands.

Sirius started to pace in front of the fire place that was directly in front of the love seat. He wasn't exactly sure how to proceed now that he had the Dursley's in front of him.

"We know that Harry Potter lives here," spoke up Lupin, leaning against the wall the fireplace was as he frowned at the two Muggles. "I took him away from this very house a few days ago so there is no point in denying it."

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley didn't say anything.

"My name is Sirius Black," said Sirius, gathering his thoughts.

The two Dursley's looked scared. "Y – You're that murderer on the television!" accused Petunia in a high pitched voice.

Sirius seemed to consider that. "Indeed I am," said Sirius, grinning wickedly. "And, as I'm sure you know, Harry's God-father,"

The Muggles' eyes widened.

"And I am aware," Sirius eyes suddenly narrowed. "That Harry is being treated poorly here."

"O – Of course not!" stuttered Vernon Dursley, his face looking more panicky and red.

Sirius looked at them even more dangerously making them cower.

"After seeing Harry's scar and bruises," said Sirius, flinching. "I had come here with the intent to kill you – "

The Dursley's were down-right terrified now.

"But why ruin the fun!" he continued, falsely cheerful.

"We have money!" spoke up Vernon Dursley hurriedly. "Take what you want, we – "

"I don't want your money," spat Sirius disgusted.

Mr. Dursley looked rather like a mouse being trodden on.

"I am here to give you your final warning," said Sirius, stepping closer to the fearful Muggles. "If I see one more scratch," Sirius took another step closer. "A paper cut," He took another step closer. "A bruise, you will wish you were never born," said Sirius softly, making the words seem more dangerous. Sirius was directly in front of the Dursley's now making them start to shake with the weight of the threat.

"If you tell anyone of this encounter, I will sneak into this very house and slit – "

Lupin cleared his throat making Sirius abruptly stop his rant and straighten up. Sirius knew he had gotten his message across, seeing the renewed flash of fear in the Muggles' eyes.

"Well," said Sirius cheerfully. "Have a nice day!" Sirius vanished with a _crack._

"Vernon," said Petunia after a few minutes, her lips trembling. "Should we call the police?"

"That would be inadvisable."

The Dursley's jumped, forgetting that a second man was in the room.

"If I hadn't been here," started Lupin quietly. "You Muggles would have perished. He doesn't give second chances that often. Keep your noses out of trouble and leave Harry alone. There are many wizards and witches – "

The Dursley's flinched.

" – That would come here and cause you harm."

Lupin flicked his wand; unlocking the doors and opening the curtains. He nodded to the Dursley's and with a _crack_ had vanished.

**"And speaking of Gryffindor -" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Harry cut in: "Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started, so - so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it - should it?" he finished, watching her anxiously. **

There were a few weak chuckles.

After ten minutes of discussion after Lupin had left to go chase after Sirius, the wizards' and witches' in the Meeting Room decided to continue the reading without them, knowing there was a time limit on reading the books before term started.

Harry was having a rather difficult time focusing on Mrs. Weasley as she was reading the chapter, his thoughts straying to Sirius' chilling statement. Had Sirius murdered his Muggle relatives?

**Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway. "I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said, and Harry's heart lightened considerably. "But you will both get a detention." It was better than Harry had expected. As for Dumbledore's writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. Harry knew perfectly well they'd just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn't squashed him flat.**

Suddenly a sharp _crack_ was heard in the Meeting Room make Mrs. Weasley's voice falter from the reading. There was another loud _crack_ a few moments later. The people in the Meeting Room could hear voices and finally the door opened revealing a calm Lupin and cheerful Sirius.

"Sirius," said Harry relieved just as Tonks said "Remus," in the same tone.

Sirius sat down on the couch next to Harry, looking very relaxed; his arm over Harry's shoulders.

Lupin went to go sit in between Teddy and Tonks.

There was an awkward silence, accept for Sirius' cheerful whistling.

"So," said Charlie conversationally. "Are the Muggles six feet under?" he joked weakly.

Sirius frowned. "I wish," he muttered. "Remus wouldn't let me,"

"Don't sound like a child, Sirius," said Lupin, rolling his eyes. "You really shouldn't have threatened them to slit their throats."

"You wouldn't let me do that either!" said Sirius, unfazed.

"You actually talked to them?" said Harry bewildered.

Sirius grinned. "Most fun I've had all summer!"

"And rather foolish," snarled Snape.

Sirius ignored him.

"They shouldn't bother you anymore, Harry," continued Sirius, which was confirmed by a nod from Lupin.

Harry wasn't quite sure how to feel. It was difficult imagining Sirius and Lupin in the Dursley's house _talking_.

"Thanks," muttered Harry, not sure what to say either.

"No problem!" said Sirius, still cheerful. "Oh, and I'm sorry Ginny and Lily for snapping at you," said Sirius apologetically.

Ginny nodded understandingly, but Lily pouted on Harry's lap and turned her head away stubbornly.

Sirius turned into his animagus form and made the little girl squeal as Snuffles licked her face.

Lily laughed and couldn't stay mad at him forever as she hugged the shaggy black dog's neck and kissed him on the nose.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley flustered. "Should we continue the reading?"

"What did Lupin and I miss?" asked Sirius curiously, after he turned back into his human self.

"Harry and Ron couldn't get through the wall barrier and missed the train. They took Mr. Weasley's car and flew it to Hogwarts and the car malfunctioned and hit the Whomping Willow – " Harry absentmindedly rubbed his ribs. That had been painful to relive. " – The car drove off and Ron and Harry are getting detention," said Hermione, in typical Hermione fashion.

Sirius' mouth popped open. "Wicked!"

Mrs. Weasley frowned, but flicked back to the right page and continued to read.

**Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of-iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.**

**"You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast." **

**When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle.**

**"I thought we'd had it," he said, grabbing a sandwich.**

**"So did I," said Harry, taking one, too.**

**"Can you believe our luck, though?" said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw them." He swallowed and took another huge bite. "Why couldn't we get through the barrier?"**

**Harry shrugged. "We'll have to watch our step from now on, though," he said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice. "Wish we could've gone up to the feast…"**

**"She didn't want us showing off," said Ron sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's clever, arriving by flying car."**

"How did people find out about that so quickly, anyway?" asked Ron curiously.

"I honestly have no clue," said Hermione with a shake of her head.

**When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said as they approached.**

**"Er -" said Harry.**

**They didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing toward them.**

**"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car!"**

**"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her.**

A few people snorted.

**"You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.**

**"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password."**

**"It's `wattlebird,"' said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point - "**

**Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after them.**

**"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years -"**

**"Good for you," said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to; someone was patting him on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"**

"You're supposed to be role models," said Mrs. Weasley frowning.

The twins, Charlie, Bill, Ginny, and even Percy looked at Mrs. Weasley bewildered who blushed at the expressions she was receiving.

**Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but Harry could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once.**

**"Got to get upstairs - bit tired," he said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.**

**"'Night," Harry called back to Hermione, who was wearing a scowl just like Percy's.**

**They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds.**

**Ron grinned guiltily at Harry.**

**"I know I shouldn't've enjoyed that or anything, but – "**

**The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.**

**"Unbelievable!" beamed Seamus.**

**"Cool," said Dean.**

**"Amazing," said Neville, awestruck.**

**Harry couldn't help it. He grinned, too.**

A few people chuckled.

"That's the end of the chapter," said Mrs. Weasley. "Who would like to read next?"

"ME!" shouted James, who was looking rather put out that he wasn't getting much attention.

Mrs. Weasley allowed herself a small smile and passed the book to Harry's eldest future child.

James cleared his throat dramatically, much like what Sirius does.

"**Gilderoy Lochart,**" read James grinning.

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!(: And thanks for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26: Gilderoy Lockhart

"**Gilderoy Lochart,**" read James grinning.

**The next day, however, Harry barely grinned once. Things started to go downhill from breakfast in the Great Hall. The four long house tables were laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, beneath the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy gray). Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione, who had her copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug. There was a slight stiffness in the way she said "Morning," which told Harry that she was still disapproving of the way they had arrived. **

Charlie couldn't help but chuckle, but immediately tried to cover it with a cough when people turned to look at him.

**Neville Longbottom, on the other hand, greeted them cheerfully. Neville was a round-faced and accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Harry had ever met.**

"Sorry Neville," said Harry apologetically.

Neville merely waved it off. He already knew that he had a horrid memory and that he had the worst luck. _Well,_ amended Neville in his head, _not as bad as Harry's luck. _

**"Mail's due any minute - I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."**

Ron suddenly paled, remembering the Howler he received.

**Harry had only just started his porridge when, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.**

**"Enrol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.**

**"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.**

**"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.**

Charlie shook his head. How the owl was still alive was a mystery to him.

**"It's not that - it's that."**

**Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Harry, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.**

**"What's the matter?" said Harry.**

**"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.**

Sirius looked at Mrs. Weasley in horror.

Mrs. Weasley glared at Sirius and sniffed angrily. "What?"

Sirius closed his gawking mouth before he shivered as he remembered the Howlers he received. "Isn't that a bit harsh?"

Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Of course not,"

"But having a Howler being opened in front of the whole school," insisted Sirius. "The embarrassment could kill a child."

"Rubbish," waved off Mrs. Weasley. "Ronald stole the car and drove it to Hogwarts! And damaged an old, historical tree!"

"I would have just sent a letter," muttered Sirius.

"But unfortunately for you," said Mrs. Weasley, her lip curling. "You were in Azkaban, weren't you?."

Sirius paled considerably at the mention of the prison and his grip on Harry's shoulder's tightened.

"That's enough," said Harry quietly making many look in his direction. "No more fighting,"

Mrs. Weasley and Sirius glanced at each other, while James thought he should continue reading.

**"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and," - he gulped - "it was horrible."**

**Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.**

**"What's a Howler?" he said.**

**But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.**

**"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes -"**

**Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, Harry knew why. He thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.**

Mrs. Weasley blushed.

**"STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"**

"Oi, keep it down why don't you?" asked Al as he clapped his hands to his ears when James started screaming Mrs. Weasley's part.

"But it's in CAPS!" said James with excitement.

"James," groaned Teddy. "Do I need to get Dad?"

James put his tongue out at Teddy making Teddy glare playfully.

"Dad?" asked Lupin quietly.

Teddy froze. "I – I think it's a good idea if you keep reading James," said Teddy quickly.

Lupin frowned.

**Mrs. Weasleys yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.**

**"- LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED -"**

**Harry had been wondering when his name was going to crop up. He tried very hard to look as though he couldn't hear the voice that was making his eardrums throb.**

**"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."**

"That's a bit harsh," muttered Sirius.

Mrs. Weasley pretended not to have heard.

**A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.**

**Hermione closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top of Ron's head.**

**"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you -"**

**"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.**

**Harry pushed his porridge away. His insides were burning with guilt. Mr. Weasley was facing an inquiry at work. After all Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had done for him over the summer...**

Mrs. Weasley frowned. _Maybe she had been a bit harsh…_

**But he had no time to dwell on this; Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. Harry took his and saw that they had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. At least the Howler had done one good thing: Hermione seemed to think they had now been punished enough and was being perfectly friendly again.**

"I would like to see _you_ get a Howler," muttered Ron, but no one heard him.

**As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt, Harry spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its branches now in slings.**

"It almost killed you and you still feel sorry for it?" asked Bill in bewilderment.

Harry face started to feel rather warm at the looks he was receiving.

**Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingernails would have made Aunt Petunia faint. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.**

**"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels . . ."**

Sirius groaned. "Bloody kid is going to give me a head ache,"

"He's not that much younger than you," pointed out Hermione.

"You're not honestly still sticking up for that faker?" asked Ron in bewilderment.

"N – no," stuttered Hermione and then straightened up in her chair. "Of course not!"

Sirius talked over the bickering. "That git might have been full of himself, but the bloke was secretly a slippery Slytherin,"

Malfoy looked a little curious now, while Blaise looked extremely bored.

"What'd he do?" asked Hermione who was as curious as Malfoy.

"Stole a few things here and there," said Sirius nonchalant. "Would say that he fought off a hundred spiders in the Forbidden Forest and had lived to tell the tale," Sirius rolled his eyes. "As if that could happen,"

Ron, Hermione, and Harry exchanged looks as they tried to hide their grins to no avail.

"What you lot laughing about?" asked Ginny suspiciously.

Harry put an arm around Ginny's shoulders and kissed her cheek, still grinning from ear to ear. "Nothing, Gin,"

Ginny was a little flustered with the kiss and new nickname that she forgot what she had asked.

Ron's grinning mood vanished seeing his sister blushing red.

**"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.**

**There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before - greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella- sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. He was about to follow Ron and Hermione inside when Lockhart's hand shot out.**

**"Harry! I've been wanting a word - you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"**

Several people were starting to look annoyed with the handsome professor.

**Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.**

**"Harry," said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he shook his head. "Harry, Harry, Harry."**

**Completely nonplussed, Harry said nothing.**

**"When I heard -well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself."**

**Harry had no idea what he was talking about. He was about to say so when Lockhart went on, "Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you'd done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry."**

**It was remarkable how he could show every one of those brilliant teeth even when he wasn't talking.**

**"Gave you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Lockhart. "Gave you the bug. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again." **

Sirius mouth popped open along with Tonks.

"He can't be serious!" gasped Tonks.

Harry continued to look glum.

**"Oh, no, Professor, see -" **

**"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, reaching out and grasping his shoulder. "I understand. Natural to want a bit more once you've had that first taste - and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head - but see here, young man, you can't start flying cars to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm down, all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!' But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, Id say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they? All that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" He glanced at the lightning scar on Harry's forehead. "I know, I know - it's not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly's Most Charming-Smile Award five times in a row, **

Ginny and Tonks snorted.

**as I have - but it's a start, Harry, it's a start." He gave Harry a hearty wink and strode off. **

Mrs. Weasley, who had once fancied Lochart, was looking stunned of what she had heard.

**Harry stood stunned for a few seconds, then, remembering he was supposed to be in the greenhouse, he opened the door and slid inside. Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle bench in the cen ter of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored ear muffs were lying on the bench. When Harry had taken his place between Ron and Hermione, she said, "We'll be repotting Man drakes today. **

"She waited for you to get back?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow.

Ron couldn't help but grin. "Was muttering how she pitied Harry for being with Lockhart for more than ten seconds."

Harry who had no clue couldn't help but chuckle along with the rest.

**Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air.**

**"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. **

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry and leaned over to whisper something in James' ear making the young Slytherin grin.

Harry started shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Al gave his dad a pitying look.

"A mandrake cures people who were once cursed," piped up Lily, who had been silently sucking her thumb on her father's lap through the reading.

Everyone looked at the little girl surprised.

Lily just continued to suck her thumb.

**"It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."**

A few people gave Lily impressed looks.

"But it can give you Nargles," warned Luna.

Everyone started to chuckle, but stopped when they saw that she was completely serious.

**"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"**

**Hermione's hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as it shot up again.**

**"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.**

"So a Mandrake is basically Lily in plant form," said James thoughtfully.

Lily gave James an extra sweet and innocent smile.

Suddenly James was raised up in the air and was currently upside down as if someone had him by the ankle.

Several people mouths popped open.

James didn't look too concerned only embarrassed.

"Lily," scolded Teddy, but his lips were twitching. "Put James down."

Lily let out an exasperated sigh before James fell down on convenient pillows on the floor.

James scowled at his little sister who only grinned.

Many people were surprised at the control that Lily had of her accidental magic.

Harry understood why his future self thought Lily would be in Ravenclaw.

**"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."**

**She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Harry, who didn't have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the "cry" of the Mandrake.**

**"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.**

**There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.**

**"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right - earmuffs on."**

**Harry snapped the earmuffs over his ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.**

**Harry let out a gasp of surprise that no one could hear.**

**Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs.**

**Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.**

**"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. "However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up.**

**"Four to a tray - there is a large supply of pots here - compost in the sacks over there - and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it's teething."**

**She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.**

"I wonder how she does that," muttered Sirius, who has had some strange and peculiar experiences with that plant that he hope Lupin would not bring up.

Lupin only smiled.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione were joined at their tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy Harry knew by sight but had never spoken to.**

**"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter... And you're Hermione Granger - always top in everything" (Hermione beamed as she had her hand shaken too) "- and Ron Weasley. Wasn't that your flying car?"**

**Ron didn't smile. The Howler was obviously still on his mind.**

"Don't let a small Howler get your hopes down, lil bro," said Fred cheerfully.

"You're famous!" added George.

Their grins disappeared and they started whistling when Mrs. Weasley gave then a pointed look.

**"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily as they began filling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and - zap - just fantastic.**

**"My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family . . . ."**

**After that they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot.**

James couldn't help but snicker at that, earning himself a slap to the back of the head by Ginny.

**By the end of the class, Harry, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration.**

**Professor McGonagall's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. Everything Harry had learned last year seemed to have leaked out of his head during the summer. He was supposed to be turning a beetle into a button, but all he managed to do was give his beetle a lot of exercise as it scuttled over the desktop avoiding his wand.**

**Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand with some borrowed Spellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick gray smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased.**

**Harry was relieved to hear the lunch bell. His brain felt like a wrung sponge. Everyone filed out of the classroom except him and Ron, who was whacking his wand furiously on the desk.**

**"Stupid - useless - thing -"**

**"Write home for another one," Harry suggested as the wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker.**

"Yeah, because everyone has fifteen galleons in their pocket," muttered Ron bitterly.

**"Oh, yeah, and get another Howler back," said Ron, stuffing the now hissing wand into his bag. " `It's your own fault your wand got snapped - '"**

Mrs. Weasley was starting to look guilty, knowing she would have said that, but would have gotten Ron a new wand anyway.

**They went down to lunch, where Ron's mood was not improved by Hermione's showing them the handful of perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration.**

**"What've we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject.**

**"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once.**

**"Why, "demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"**

**Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously.**

Hermione was blushing (but not as much as she had her second year) as everyone snorted with laughter.

**They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again. Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes before Harry became aware that he was being closely watched. Looking up, he saw the very small, mousy-haired boy he'd seen trying on the Sorting Hat last night staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red.**

**"All right, Harry? I'm -I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think - would it be all right if - can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.**

**"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly.**

"You got a fan," snickered Sirius.

Everyone else was looking highly amused while Harry glowered.

**"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead" (his eyes raked Harry's hairline) "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move." Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" - he looked imploringly at Harry - "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"**

**"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?"**

**Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.**

"Worst luck, Harry," groaned Sirius, ignoring the glowering Slytherin.

**"Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"**

**"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy."**

**"You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.**

"Poor kid," muttered Tonks.

**"Jealous?" said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."**

Almost everyone was glowering at Malfoy who looked away. He was about to retort when Blaise shot him a look.

Ginny tilted her head, the only one who seemingly caught Blaise and Malfoy's exchange.

**Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly.**

**"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.**

**"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. "If you put another toe out of line' - "**

Ron glowered at the floor and Sirius gave Mrs. Weasley a pointed look. She ignored it.

**A knot of Slytherin fifth-years nearby laughed loudly at this.**

**"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house -"**

**Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered, "Look out!"**

**"What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding**

"Oh, bloody hell," said Sirius, shooting his God-son a pitying look.

No one in the room could disagree that Harry had the worst luck.

**toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who's giving out signed photos?" Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!" Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd. "Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll both sign it for you." Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes. "Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side. "A word to the wise, Harry," said Lockhart paternally as they entered the building through a side door. "I covered up for you back there with young Creevey - if he was photographing me, too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much . . . ." **

Sirius was snickering.

"I like signing photographs," said Lily absentmindedly.

"It's annoying," muttered Al.

"Oh, c'mon Al," said James, bumping his brother's shoulder with his own. "It's not that bad,"

Harry tilted his head curiously. "Why do you lot sign photographs?"

The three children looked at Teddy who only shook his head.

"I – I'm going to keep reading!" announced James making Harry frown.

**Deaf to Harry's stammers, Lockhart swept him down a corridor lined with staring students and up a staircase. "Let me just say that handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career isn't sensible - looks a tad bigheaded, Harry, to be frank. There may well come a time when, like me, you'll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but" - he gave a little chortle - "I don't think you're quite there yet." They had reached Lockhart's classroom and he let Harry go at last. **

**Harry yanked his robes straight and headed for a seat at the very back of the class, where he busied himself with piling all seven of Lockhart's books in front of him, so that he could avoid looking at the real thing.**

**The rest of the class came clattering in, and Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of Harry.**

**"You could've fried an egg on your face" said Ron. "You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club."**

**"Shut up," snapped Harry. The last thing he needed was for Lockhart to hear the phrase "Harry Potter fan club."**

**When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front **

**"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"**

**He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly.**

**"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books -well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry aboutjust to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in -"**

**When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes - start - now!"**

**Harry looked down at his paper and read:**

**1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?**

**2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?**

**3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?**

**On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:**

**4. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?**

"You're bloody joking!" exclaimed Tonks, Sirius, and Charlie.

**Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.**

**"Tut, tut - hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully - I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhisky!"**

**He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.**

**". . . but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions - good girl! In fact" - he flipped her paper over - "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"**

Many people in the Room of Requirement were silently laughing.

**Hermione raised a trembling hand.**

**"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so - to business -"**

**He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.**

**"Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."**

**In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.**

**"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."**

**As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.**

**"Yes," he said dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies. "**

Sirius roared with laughter along with the rest of the group. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.

**Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.**

**"Yes?" He smiled at Seamus.**

**"Well, they're not - they're not very - dangerous, are they?" Seamus choked.**

**"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"**

"Only if they are let out of their cage," snorted Sirius. "And who would be that bloody dense?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks.

**The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.**

**"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage.**

Sirius gaped at the book and then shook his head with bewilderment.

**It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.**

"I would have loved to McGonagall's face if she walked into that classroom," chortled Bill.

**"Come on now - round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted.**

**He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed,**

**"Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"**

"That's not even a spell," muttered Snape annoyed.

**It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, **

"And he supposedly fought off a werewolf in a telephone booth," scoffed Sirius as he shook his head at people's stupidity.

**narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.**

**The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.**

Lupin frowned. "Who let him teach?"

"He was the only one who would accept the job," said Dumbledore amused as he stroked his beard.

"Honestly, Professor, you were the best Defense against the Dark Arts teacher accept for Barty Crouch Jr. who was any good," said Harry cheerfully.

Lupin had a pink tinge to his cheeks.

Sirius, on the other hand, stiffened at the mention of Barty Crouch's son.

"Why was that murderer any good?" asked Sirius stiffly.

Harry moved uncomfortably in his seat as memories of his fourth year popped in his head.

"H –His lessons were rather interesting," said Hermione timidly and Ginny nodded rapidly in response, saving Harry from answering.

Harry nodded his thanks discreetly to both of them who nodded in response.

Sirius was still looking rather stony. He remembered seeing Harry sitting in Dumbledore's chair looking vulnerable and emotionless as he had recounted the series of events of being in the maze, the graveyard, and the true identity of Mad-Eye being revealed.

"Barty Crouch Jr was a bad man, wasn't he Daddy?" said Lily quietly.

Everyone turned to look at her and then at Harry.

"Sometimes bad people are incredibly insightful," said Harry thoughtfully, which made many people scrunch up their faces and look at Harry worriedly as many exchanged looks.

The looks were Harry's breaking point. Why didn't people understand? Why were people so judgemental?

"I WOULDN'T OF BEEN ABLE TO GET PAST VOLDEMORT IF IT WASN'T FOR CROUCH'S SON, SO STOP – stop…" Harry didn't realize he was now standing up; his fists clenched painfully tight, his chest heaving. Harry had no idea where his sudden anger had come from and he was receiving bewildered and even frightened looks. Harry stormed off without a look back to his future family, friends, and enemies and out the door of the Room of Requirement.

There was a few moments of shocked silence and then…

"Daddy?" whimpered Lily until she looked scared.

"DADDY!" screamed Lily and she bounded off, dodging Ginny's attempt to catch her as she ran after Harry out of the Room of Requirement.

Harry was jogging down the unusually quiet corridors of Hogwarts, past surprised portraits and even a hissing Mrs. Norris. His head was pounding from bursting anger, and it didn't feel like his own.

Harry finally collapsed against a wall that he realized suddenly he was next to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Not really in the mood to meet the hormonal ghost he scooted away from the door next to a window. To Harry's happiness it was a clear view of the Quidditch field.

He felt extremely stupid that he had ran off and he knew he shouldn't have taken his anger out on everyone. Harry clenched his jaw. He was right and everyone was too dense to see it! He knew how to fight the Imperius curse and he knew about the other Unforgivable Curses… Harry felt guilty. They weren't dense, they were only worried. Prejudices against a Dark Wizard were nothing new and win one person wasn't completly aganist it...

Harry's scar started to sear with pain and he clapped his hand to his forehead by instinct.

"It's not happening fast enough," muttered Harry, not understanding why he knew this is what Voldemort's thinking. What wasn't happening fast enough?

Harry groaned under his breath as flashes of the corridor from his dream and where the man was attacked by the large snake happened.

"Daddy?"

Harry looked up, his eyes were still screwed up in pain as he tried to blink it away. When he finally did he saw Lily standing in front of him worriedly.

"Lily," said Harry surprised. "Why aren't you in the Room of Requirement?"

Lily didn't answer as she continued to study him. It was a weird feeling to be studied by a three-year-old.

Lily knelt down and crawled by Harry's side. Harry sighed and put an arm around her.

What did Voldemort want? A weapon. That's what Sirius had said. So, Voldemort wasn't getting his weapon fast enough. What weapon? That question continued to spiral in his mind. Wasn't it somehow connected to the mysterious corridor he was dreaming and visioning? It had to be…

"Harry?"

Harry looked up to see Ginny, Al, and James looking at him worriedly.

"I'm fine," said Harry timidly, rubbing his face with a hand.

"Sure you are, Harry," chuckled Ginny before sitting next to Harry and putting her head on Harry's lap. Harry couldn't help but smile.

Al and James sat crossed legged across from Harry.

"So, that's where Lily got her temper from," said James, giving Harry a lopsided smile.

"Please, James," said Al, rolling his eyes. "We all received "Grandmother's temper".

Harry chuckled sadly at that.

"You're not what I expected," said James suddenly, looking intently at Harry.

Harry's eyebrows went together. "Why's that?"

James tiled his head. "I thought you would be more confident," said James. "Powerful even," he added.

Harry looked more confused before shaking his head. "I want to be normal."

Al snorted. "Like that's going to happen,"

"Wha – ?"

"Harry!"

Everyone looked to their right to see Teddy slightly out of breath and tripping over his own feet toward them.

"Thank Merlin you left the Marauder's map in my room, James, or I would of never found you lot," said Teddy, looking relieved.

Teddy sat down next to James looking at Harry.

"You alright?" asked Teddy worriedly.

Harry sighed. "I'm fine, I just felt suddenly – " Harry clenched his jaw.

"Angry?" piped up Lily grinning, her teeth still not all grown in.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "Just a bit,"

"Hey Teddy?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah, Mum?" Teddy eyes widened once he said that, but Ginny only raised an eyebrow before continuing to ask her question.

"Can you ask future Harry if we can skip a few bits in book two and three. I don't recall too many outrageous events happening."

Harry chuckled along with Teddy. "You would be surprised."

Ginny scowled. "This chapter that we just read had no real importance except that Lochart is obviously a fake."

Teddy looked thoughtfully at Ginny. "I'll ask, but I know the fourth book and on he won't allow it." Ginny nodded understandingly.

"Shall we head back?" asked Teddy after a few moments a silence.

"I rather like it here," admitted Harry, taking another glance at the Quidditch field.

Teddy grinned. "Fancy a match soon?"

Harry grinned back, excitement building in him that he could ride his Firebolt in the near future.

"Definitely,"

Harry nodded and Teddy gave a hand to Harry and the family walked quietly to the Room of Requirement. Harry hadn't realized how far he had run and he was rather worn when they reached the tapestry that hid the Room of Requirement.

Teddy paced three times thinking of the place he wished to seek and soon the door appeared.

Everyone looked up as the family entered.

"Hope you didn't mind if we read ahead?" piped up Hermione cautiously.

"Its fine," said Harry sitting back on the couch.

"I'm sorry, Harry," said Sirius quietly.

Harry look at him and he noticed out of the corner of his eye people were staring.

"Its fine," said Harry casually. "I just felt angry."

Snape looked at Harry curiously until he nodded to himself understanding. The Dark Lord was getting into Potter's mind more and more each day.

"Should we continue reading?" asked Ron annoyed.

"Sure," said Al. "If you stop acting like a prat,"

Charlie and Bill bit back their laughter because of their brother's bewildered expression.

Al paid no one any mind as he sat down on the couch next to Harry and picked up the book that was on the floor.

"**Mudbloods and Murmurs," **read Al calmly.

* * *

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	27. Chapter 27: Mudbloods and Murmurs

"**Mudbloods and Murmurs," **read Al calmly.

**Harry spent a lot of time over the next few days dodging out of sight whenever he saw Gilderoy Lockhart coming down a corridor. Harder to avoid was Colin Creevey, who seemed to have memorized Harry's schedule. Nothing seemed to give Colin a bigger thrill than to say, "All right, Harry?" six or seven times a day and hear, "Hello, Colin," back, however exasperated Harry sounded when he said it.**

Sirius chuckled. "Reminds me of Lochart,"

Lupin silently agreed.

**Hedwig was still angry with Harry about the disastrous car journey and Ron's wand was still malfunctioning, surpassing itself on Friday morning by shooting out of Ron's hand in Charms and hitting tiny old Professor Flitwick squarely between the eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck. So with one thing and another, Harry was quite glad to reach the weekend. He, Ron, and Hermione were planning to visit Hagrid on Saturday morning. Harry, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than he would have liked by Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.**

**"Whassamatter?" said Harry groggily.**

**"Quidditch practice!" said Wood. "Come on!"**

**Harry squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that he was awake, he couldn't understand how he could have slept through the racket the birds were making.**

**"Oliver," Harry croaked. "It's the crack of dawn."**

"Reminds me of James," muttered Sirius, as he remember all the early morning practices he had to endure.

**"Exactly," said Wood. He was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, grab your broom, and let's go," said Wood heartily. "None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be first off the mark this year -"**

**Yawning and shivering slightly, Harry climbed out of bed and tried to find his Quidditch robes.**

**"Good man," said Wood. "Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes.**

**When he'd found his scarlet team robes and pulled on his cloak for warmth, Harry scribbled a note to Ron explaining where he'd gone and went down the spiral staircase to the common room, his Nimbus Two Thousand on his shoulder. He had just reached the portrait hole when there was a clatter behind him and Colin Creevey came dashing down the spiral staircase, his camera swinging madly around his neck and something clutched in his hand.**

A few people groaned and then started chuckling.

**"I heard someone saying your name on the stairs, Harry! Look what I've got here! I've had it developed, I wanted to show you -"**

**Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose.**

**A moving, black-and-white Lockhart was tugging hard on an arm Harry recognized as his own. He was pleased to see that his photographic self was putting up a good fight and refusing to be dragged into view. As Harry watched, Lockhart gave up and slumped, panting, against the white edge of the picture.**

**"Will you sign it?" said Colin eagerly.**

**"No," said Harry flatly, glancing around to check that the room was really deserted. "Sorry, Colin, I'm in a hurry - Quidditch practice -"**

"Wrong thing to say, Harry," said Bill amused.

**He climbed through the portrait hole.**

**"Oh, wow! Wait for me! I've never watched a Quidditch game before!"**

**Colin scrambled through the hole after him.**

**"It'll be really boring," Harry said quickly, but Colin ignored him, his face shining with excitement.**

**"You were the youngest House player in a hundred years, weren't you, Harry? Weren't you?" said Colin, trotting alongside him. "You must be brilliant. I've never flown. Is it easy? Is that your own broom? Is that the best one there is?"**

**Harry didn't know how to get rid of him. It was like having an extremely talkative shadow.**

**"I don't really understand Quidditch," said Colin breathlessly. "Is it true there are four balls? And two of them fly around trying to knock people off their brooms?"**

**"Yes," said Harry heavily, resigned to explaining the complicated rules of Quidditch. "They're called Bludgers. There are two Beaterson each team who carry clubs to beat the Bludgers away from their side. Fred and George Weasley are the Gryffindor Beaters."**

**"And what are the other balls for?" Colin asked, tripping down a couple of steps because he was gazing open-mouthed at Harry.**

Harry felt a pang of guilt when he saw realized how much he brushed him aside all those years. Really it would have been like having a younger sibling. Harry glanced at the Weasley's. He envied them for having each other.

**"Well, the Quafe - that's the biggish red one - is the one that scores goals. Three Chasers on each team throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through the goal posts at the end of the pitch - they're three long poles with hoops on the end."**

**"And the fourth ball -"**

**"- is the Golden Snitch," said Harry, "and it's very small, very fast, and difficult to catch. But that's what the Seeker's got to do, because a game of Quidditch doesn't end until the Snitch has been caught. And whichever team's Seeker gets the Snitch earns his team an extra hundred and fifty points."**

**"And you're the Gryffindor Seeker, aren't you?" said Colin in awe.**

**"Yes," said Harry as they left the castle and started across the dew- drenched grass. "And there's the Keeper, too. He guards the goal posts. That's it, really."**

**But Colin didn't stop questioning Harry all the way down the sloping lawns to the Quidditch field, and Harry only shook him off when he reached the changing rooms; Colin called after him in a piping voice, "I'll go and get a good seat, Harry!" and hurried off to the stands.**

**The rest of the Gryffindor team were already in the changing room. Wood was the only person who looked truly awake. Fred and George Weasley were sitting, puffy-eyed and tousle haired, next to fourth years.**

"We didn't get our beauty sleep!" scoffed the twins.

"And the ladies usually like the tousle hair look," said Fred, winking at Hermione playfully who blushed.

Charlie and Ron frowned at their brother as everyone chuckled.

**Alicia Spinnet, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind her. Her fellow Chasers, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson,**

Fred nudged his twin when Angelina was brought up who then started to blush rapidly.

**were yawning side by side opposite them.**

**"There you are, Harry, what kept you?" said Wood briskly. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…**

Sirius groaned. "I think James was reincarnated."

**Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different colored inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics, Fred Weasley's head drooped right onto Alicia Spinnet's shoulder and he began to snore.**

George then elbowed Fred which made his ears rather maroon.

**The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one. Harry sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on.**

**"So," said Wood, at long last, jerking Harry from a wistful fantasy about what he could be eating for breakfast at this very moment up at the castle. "Is that clear? Any questions?"**

**"I've got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"**

**Wood wasn't pleased.**

**"Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Quidditch cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately -owing to circumstances beyond our control - "**

**Harry shifted guiltily in his seat. He had been unconscious in the hospital wing for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Gryffindor had been a player short and had suffered their worst defeat in three hundred years.**

Several people winced at that as Sirius and Tonks gaped in horror.

**Wood took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him.**

**"So this year, we train harder than ever before ... Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff legged and still yawning, his team followed.**

**They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Harry walked onto the field, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting in the stands.**

**"Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously.**

**"Haven't even started," said Harry, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade Ron and Hermione had brought out of the Great Hall. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."**

**He mounted his broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning air whipped his face, waking him far more effectively than Wood's long talk. It felt wonderful to be back on the Quidditch field. He soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing Fred and George.**

**"What's that funny clicking noise?" called Fred as they hurtled around the corner.**

**Harry looked into the stands. Colin was sitting in one of the highest seats, his camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium.**

**"Look this way, Harry! This way!" he cried shrilly.**

**"Who's that?" said Fred.**

**"No idea," Harry lied, putting on a spurt of speed that took him as far away as possible from Colin.**

**"What's going on?" said Wood, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. "Why's that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program."**

**"He's in Gryffindor," said Harry quickly.**

**"And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," said George.**

**"What makes you say that?" said Wood testily.**

**"Because they're here in person," said George, pointing.**

Sirius groaned rather loudly making Lily giggle.

**Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.**

**"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"**

**Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Harry, Fred, and George followed.**

**"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"**

**Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."**

**Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors, leering to a man.**

**"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"**

**"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. `I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker."'**

**"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"**

**And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy.**

"Probably got your father to persuade a few people of the board," sniffed Ginny.

Blaise stiffened, but Malfoy glowered at the floor.

Ginny was feeling very confused.

**"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.**

**"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."**

**All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun.**

"The Firebolt is better," said Ron grinning at the Slytherin who only continued to glower at the floor.

**"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" - he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives - "sweeps the board with them."**

**None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits.**

**"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion."**

**Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.**

**"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"**

**He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.**

**"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team.**

**Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.**

**"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."**

**The Slytherin team howled with laughter.**

"It really wasn't that funny," said Lily casually.

Harry swore he saw Malfoy's lips twitch.

**"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."**

"Go M – Hermione!" cheered Charlie and Bill clapped along with him.

Hermione blushed.

**The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.**

**"No one asked your opinion, you fiIthy little Mudblood," he spat.**

There was instant uproar in the Room of Requirement as many looked ready to pounce on the Slytherin.

"It's alright," stressed Hermione, rolling her eyes.

"It is not!" argued Ron and Charlie, who looked at each other with surprise.

Hermione, Harry and even Lily stood in front of Malfoy before anyone could curse him.

"What are you doing, Potter?" said Malfoy with surprise.

Harry looked at Malfoy with a blank expression. "You want to be cursed or not? My wife will probably attack you if I don't stand here,"

Malfoy raised his eyebrow at the word _wife_, but nodded any way.

"Don't think I won't attack you, Harry James Potter," warned Ginny, but she merely huffed and sat back down on the couch.

"This isn't really important," said Harry quietly.

Ron disagreed. Chucking up those slugs still made him shiver when he still saw one.

"So, maybe we can skip to my detention?" continued Harry.

There were a few nods of agreement and Teddy sighed resigned. If time hadn't restarted he would have disagreed, but now there was a time limit.

"Maybe we should just skip to when Granger was petrified," said Blaise casually, looking at his watch.

Everyone except Draco, who was looking what seemed guilty to Harry, was looking surprised or suspicious.

"Why?" asked Ginny curiously.

Blaise merely shrugged and walked up to Harry smirking.

"A word?"

Harry was completely confused and he glanced at Malfoy's stony face before following Blaise into the Meeting Room.

Harry exchanged confused looks with Ginny before closing the door. That's when Harry was suddenly thrown against the wall with a hand around his throat, being slowly raised up. Harry clawed at the hand and looked down to see Blaise's face twisted in a grin. Harry swore he saw a misty gray like Draco's eyes flash though the dark brown. Harry's intuition flickered as he kicked and fought. Did someone disguise themselves as Blaise Zabini with Polyjuice Potion?

When Blaise first appeared in the Room of Requirement he acted like Fred and George said: he was a friendly, funny chap. After Malfoy and him left for the kitchen to "talk" he was quiet… it explained a lot of Malfoy's carefully concealed expressions.

Harry's eyes started watering from his oxygen being cut off and he wasn't able to think clearly anymore as his vision started sprouting black spots. Harry felt as if he was choking on his own air, his throat felt so dry…

The hold suddenly loosened and Harry fell on the floor coughing his lungs up, his hand on the base of his throat to slow his breathing. Harry opened his blurry eyes and had to blink a few times to be able to see a smirking Blaise (or the person impersonating Blaise) above him looking triumphant.

"The famous Harry Potter," sneered Blaise as he kicked Harry in the stomach making Harry double over on the floor and cough some more. "How stupid your future self is," Another kick to the stomach. "Thinking he could keep me from coming to the past," Blaise was now stepping on Harry's wand hand making Harry grunt with pain.

"Do you know who I am?" whispered Blaise, bending down to the floor, his foot still firm on Harry's hand.

Understanding went through Harry. "Lucius Malfoy," whispered Harry.

It explained why in the love potion they saw Lucius Malfoy's name. Why Teddy and his future self thought it was Lucius fault that he could feel the pain as it was being read.

Blaise's mouth curled into a sneer. "Correct,"

Lucius/ Blaise stepped away from Harry and crouched down to his height.

"The Dark Lord is going to kill you, Potter," whispered Lucius. "And if you don't die, everyone you've met, your friends, your family… they will all die…"

Lucius breath washed over Harry's face making the hair at the back of his neck rise.

"And I'll start with your future daughter, Lily is it?"

Harry's eyes widened in horror and Lucius let out a chilling laugh. "This won't be like last time," Lucius whispered, and Harry wasn't sure if he was talking to Harry or himself.

"Tell anyone of this encounter and your children will be murdered in front of your eyes," Lucius hissed and stepped away from Harry toward the door of the Meeting Room.

"Ah, and Harry?"

Harry looked at Lucius with loathing, every fiber of his being burning with hatred.

"You _will _skip to when your Mudblood friend is petrified and you'll not breathe a word to any of your pals," sneered Lucius.

"Wait," Harry got shakily up from the floor and glared at the man he possibly hated more than Voldemort at the moment.

Blaise/Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"Where's the _real_ Blaise?"

Lucius' lip curled. "It doesn't concern you," and he swept from the room.

Harry's whole body was shaking with rage.

Everyone in the Reading Room was in danger and it was his fault.

Harry calmed his breathing and attempted to put on a relaxed face. It wasn't working.

"Daddy, you okay?"

Harry looked back at the door to see Lily, looking curious and worried.

Harry felt his eyes pricking. He was just starting his fifth year and only had just met his future daughter and yet… he still felt she was his responsibility. Lily was _his _daughter and no witch or wizard should ever threaten her life.

Lily came over to Harry and attached her small frame around Harry's leg. She looked up and smiled.

"I'm hungry, can you make me a snack?" Lily blinked her eyes rapidly. "Pretty please with a Nargle on top?"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle weakly. "Sure, Lily,"

A bright grin spread across Lily's face and she let out a small squeal. "Thank you, Daddy! No one wanted to make me a snack," She started pouting.

Harry patted the top of her head and started toward the door at a much slower pace than usual since Lily was still glued to his leg.

Everyone looked at him when he left the Meeting Room with amused expressions noticing the fiery red head wrapped around Harry's leg.

"Does anyone else want a snack?" asked Harry casually, making his way to the kitchen.

There were a few chorus of "yes", and Harry couldn't help but stiffen when he heard Blaise's voice.

Harry nodded, clenching his jaw, and got to work on some sandwiches with Lily, now only having one arm around Harry's leg, jumping up and down with excitement.

When everyone was fed and watered everyone gathered around in the Reading Room chatting happily.

Harry envied them.

Ginny was feeling slightly anxious. Harry was so… different. He barely laughed or smiled unless Lily, Al, or James was telling him something. She had only got him to smile once. Ginny laid her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry's lips twitched, but it still wasn't what she was hoping for.

Harry cleared his throat and everyone quieted down to look at him.

"I agree with B – Blaise," said Harry, his hands turning into fists on Lily's waist who was sitting on his lap. "We should skip to when Hermione gets petrified,"

A few people looked at him surprised, but otherwise not concerned.

Harry opened the book this time and flipped to the right pages.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up to see a slightly anxious Teddy who was eyeing the book frowning.

"There could be a catch because you are skipping ahead…" Teddy trailed off, squinting his eyes at Harry. "Are those bruises on your neck?"

Every head shot toward Harry and zeroed in on Harry's neck.

Harry was looking uncomfortable. "Fred and George must have missed it," muttered Harry, who glanced at the twins who were frowning confused. The thought they had obscured it…

"No problem, Harry," said George easily, and he readily tossed a container that was the twins invention to Harry.

Sirius was trying to control his anger, while Lupin's head was tilted, studying Harry. Lupin was sure that something was off with Harry.

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly after a few moments and opened back to the right chapter.

**"Cornelius Fudge," **read Harry.

Harry stopped and winced.

"Harry?" asked Teddy worriedly.

"I'm fine," said Harry gritting his teeth.

Suddenly Harry's feet were jerking every which way.

"Harry?" asked Sirius bewildered. "What's happening?"

"Dueling club," said Harry, as he sighed in relief when it stopped.

"That means…" trailed off George, looking at Harry's arm.

Harry gulped and suddenly fell on the ground, his face screwed up in pain.

"Harry?" yelled Ginny alarmed, kneeling down next to Harry.

Everyone heard a loud _crack_ and Harry's arm was now at a crooked angle.

"The bewitched Bludger," whispered Hermione.

"What?" barked Sirius panicked, his eyes fixed on his groaning God-son.

Hermione quickly explained Harry's Quidditch match in their second year.

Everyone who hadn't been present was open mouthed, glancing at Harry on the floor.

"He caught the snitch after he broke his arm?" asked Tonks in amazement.

"And being chased by a bewitched Bludger?" said Charlie, not quite sure if he could have pulled off such an amazing win.

Malfoy was slightly open-mouthed that _Dobby_ would go to such lengths.

Hermione nodded absentmindedly, glancing at Harry worriedly.

"Remember what Lockhart did?" asked Fred suddenly.

The teens exchanged nervous looks and glanced back at Harry's crooked arm.

"What happened?" asked Sirius resigned.

Harry's arm suddenly wasn't crooked anymore.

Hermione timidly picked up Harry's arm. The adult's eyes widened as Hermione bent Harry's hand backwards.

"Lockhart vanished Harry's bones," said Hermione faintly.

Sirius' lips went white and Mrs. Weasley let out a little squeak.

Harry was grunting every few seconds right when what looked like muscle spasm went through Harry's bone-less arm.

"And now has to grow his bones back," sighed Ron, sitting back in his chair.

"Because we skipped chapters of the book," said Teddy quietly. "Harry has to deal with the pain all in one blow. Hermione, Ron? Why don't you explain the events of what we skipped, while Harry regrows his bones? I think the growth rate will be much quicker."

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other and got into explaining about the first attack of Mrs. Norris and a few minutes later ending with Harry's retold tale of being sucked into Riddle's diary and said Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets.

"So _that's_ why Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts," said Sirius surprised, leaning back on the couch.

Harry suddenly opened his eyes. "It wasn't his fault though,"

Everyone jumped and looked down at Harry.

"How long have you been listening?" asked Ginny crossly.

Harry's lips twitched. "A minute or two,"

Ginny rolled her eyes and gave Harry a hand.

"All of you had made and drank Polyjuice potion just to find out who the heir was?" asked Charlie, highly amused and impressed that a bunch of second years could pull off such an amazing accomplishment.

Snape's lip curled, remembering when Miss Granger explained at a very quick pace collecting the ingredients for such a potion from his personal store. It had put him in a sour mood when Black started laughing hysterically when she told everyone. But Snape was surprised how much the school student body had taken a great dislike to Potter, thinking that _Potter _was the Slytherin heir. The intelligence of the students was dismal.

Malfoy had been slightly shocked to hear that it was _not_ Crabbe and Goyle who he had spoken to in the Slytherin common room and surprised that Granger was behind a lot of the trio's plans. Malfoy's lips twitched in admiration. Who knew a Muggle-born book worm was such a rule-breaker. Malfoy tried to look expressionless when Blaise/his father looked at him.

"So," said Harry, taking a quick glance at Blaise, who was smirking. "Back to reading I suppose,"

"S – Sure," said Ginny, looking at Harry curiously.

Harry cleared his throat again, ignoring everyone who was exchanging worried looks.

"**Cornelius Fudge," **read Harry.

* * *

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	28. Chapter 28: Cornelius Fudge

"**Cornelius Fudge," **read Harry.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione had always known that Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures. During their first year at Hogwarts he had tried to raise a dragon in his little wooden house, and it would be a long time before they forgot the giant, three-headed dog he'd christened "Fluffy." And if, as a boy, Hagrid had heard that a monster was hidden somewhere in the castle, Harry was sure he'd have gone to any lengths for a glimpse of it. He'd probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up so long, and thought it deserved the chance to stretch its many legs; Harry could just imagine the thirteen-year-old Hagrid trying to fit a leash and collar on it. But he was equally certain that Hagrid would never have meant to kill anybody.**

There were a few nods in agreement.

**Harry half wished he hadn't found out how to work Riddle's diary. Again and again Ron and Hermione made him recount what he'd seen, until he was heartily sick of telling them and sick of the long, circular conversations that followed. **

**"Riddle ****_might _****have got the wrong person," said Hermione. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people…"**

**"How many monsters d'you think this place can hold?" Ron asked dully.**

A few people chuckled.

**"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," said Harry miserably. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award." **

**Ron tried a different tack. **

**"Riddle ****_does _****sound like Percy — who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?"**

Harry was starting to get amused, despite his worrying for everyone's safety. How difficult it was for them to say _Voldemort_, but yet so simple to call him by his _real_ name: Riddle.

Percy bit back bitter laughter. He was the perfect child. OWL's in everything, Head Boy… but his popularity had sunk because of it. He became an outcast. Now being the Minister of Magic's assistant he felt wanted. Witches and Wizards remembered his name, he shook many enthusiastic hands, he was part of many important matters… and all for the price of simply telling the Ministry about his family and Harry. Mostly Harry. _He was dangerous_, they said, _Unstable_. Harry wasn't really part of the family anyway. Not really.

**"But the monster had ****_killed _****someone, Ron," said Hermione. **

**"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts," said Harry. "I don't blame him for wanting to stay here…"**

Harry grudgingly still didn't blame Voldemort for that.

**"You met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, didn't you, Harry?" **

**"He was buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," said Harry quickly. **

**The three of them fell silent. After a long pause, Hermione voiced the knottiest question of all in a hesitant voice. **

**"Do you think we should go and ****_ask _****Hagrid about it all?" **

**"That'd be a cheerful visit," said Ron. "'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"**

There were a few weak chuckles. Some people still hadn't gotten over the fact that Hagrid got expelled for being accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets. How could someone as nice as Hagrid do something so horrible? What made people's defiance waver was Hagrid's fond attachment to anything classified as a creature or dangerous.

**In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. Peeves had finally got bored of his "Oh, Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.**

**"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing." **

**The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously.**

"That's because it _is _important," said Hermione indignant, crossing her arms.

Many exchanged exaggerated looks when Hermione sniffed angrily at the ceiling.

Charlie and Bill were looking at each other trying to hold in their laughter.

**"… it could affect our whole future," she told Harry and Ron as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks. **

**"I just want to give up Potions," said Harry.**

Al frowned. "But you said you liked potions…"

"Dad started liking it in his sixth year," interrupted James. "He said all he needed was the right textbook," James shrugged, still not quite understanding what his father meant by that.

Snape froze wondering if Potter came across the textbook he had previously wrote in when he attended Hogwarts in his youth. Snape mentally shook himself. Out of thousands of textbooks in Hogwarts for Potions, what was the chance that Potter received the one by the Half-Blood Prince? Another thought distracted Snape from his old Potions book… how the bloody hell did Potter pass Potions for his OWL's?

Ron leaned as far as he could toward Harry, while crushing several of the Potters. "At least you know you pass Potions this year, Harry," whispered Ron into Harry's ear smirking.

Harry couldn't help but grin, glancing at Snape's stony expression.

**"We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts."**

"I do hope we get a DADA teacher that isn't deranged and didn't commit murder this year," said Hermione thoughtfully.

A few people chuckled and Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling rapidly.

**"But that's very important!" said Hermione, shocked. **

**"Not the way Lockhart teaches it," said Ron. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose." **

**Neville Longbottom had been sent letters from all the witches and wizards in his family, all giving him different advice on what to choose. Confused and worried, he sat reading the subject lists with his tongue poking out, asking people whether they thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than the study of Ancient Runes. Dean Thomas, who, like Harry, had grown up with Muggles, ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his wand at the list, then picking the subjects it landed on.**

Snape rolled his eyes as several people chuckled. No wonder Mr. Thomas had picked Advanced Potion making.

**Hermione took nobody's advice but signed up for everything.**

"But that's impossible," said Tonks shocked.

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks as they remembered the Time Turner.

**Harry smiled grimly to himself at the thought of what Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would say if he tried to discuss his career in wizardry with them. Not that he didn't get any guidance: Percy Weasley was eager to share his experience.**

**"Depends where you want to go, Harry," he said. "It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Divination.**

Hermione snorted. "Loads of rubbish, that is,"

Those who didn't know Hermione's hatred for the subject looked at her with surprise.

**People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them — look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry."**

**But the only thing Harry felt he was really good at was Quidditch.**

"That's not true," said Ginny frowning.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "I can barely escape Dark Wizards and play Quidditch, what else is there?"

"Charms," said Ron suddenly, making several people and Harry look at him surprised.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Lupin, giving Harry a small smile. "You were extraordinary when I taught in your third year. I can only imagine what you are like now."

"Potions," said Hermione, but quickly added when she received bewildered looks. "When you don't have someone breathing down your neck and ridiculing you the whole lesson."

"You're actually pretty good in everything when you put your mind to it," said Ginny softly and then chuckled before adding. "Except for History; only Hermione is good at History."

"And me," muttered Percy, but no one heard him.

Harry was rather red in the face now, not used to receiving all these compliments all in one blow.

"Thanks," muttered Harry embarrassed as he hid his face behind Lily.

**In the end, he chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was lousy at them, at least he'd have someone friendly to help him.**

Many chuckled as they remembered doing that in their Hogwarts years once or twice.

**Gryffindor's next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff. Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Harry barely had time for anything but Quidditch and homework. However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match he went up to his dormitory to drop off his broomstick feeling Gryffindor's chances for the Quidditch cup had never been better. **

**But his cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, he met Neville Longbottom, who was looking frantic. **

**"Harry — I don't know who did it — I just found —" **

**Watching Harry fearfully, Neville pushed open the door. **

**The contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress.**

Many mouths opened in surprise, not expecting this.

Ginny was hiding her face in Harry's shoulder, trying to hide her blush. When she had seen Harry with the diary she was afraid he would react as horrible as she did to the diary. That he would wake up one day and not remember what he had done the night before or that he would wake up covered in blood and not know how it happened.

**Harry walked over to the bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of Travels with Trolls. As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in. Dean swore loudly. **

**"What happened, Harry?" **

**"No idea," said Harry. But Ron was examining Harry's robes. All the pockets were hanging out. **

**"Someone's been looking for something," said Ron. "Is there anything missing?"**

**Harry started to pick up all his things and throw them into his trunk. It was only as he threw the last of the Lockhart books back into it that he realized what wasn't there. **

**"Riddle's diary's gone," he said in an undertone to Ron.**

"But they would have to be in Gryffindor then!" said Sirius shocked. "What Gryffindor would do that?"

Ginny's blushed darkened, but she firmly kept her face into Harry's shoulder. _Stupid diary. Stupid Tom Riddle._

**"What?" **

**Harry jerked his head toward the dormitory door and Ron followed him out. They hurried down to the Gryffindor common room, which was half-empty, and joined Hermione, who was sitting alone, reading a book called ****_Ancient Runes Made Easy_****.**

"Great book for some light reading," said Charlie, before winking at Hermione.

Hermione's cheek turned pink and several people looked at Charlie with unfathomable expressions, still having suspicions that Charlie had given Hermione the love potion.

**Hermione looked aghast at the news. **

**"But — only a Gryffindor could have stolen — nobody else knows our password —" **

**"Exactly," said Harry. **

**They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze. **

**"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."**

**Harry had been staring down the packed Gryffindor table, wondering if the new owner of Riddle's diary was right in front of his eyes. Hermione had been urging him to report the robbery, but Harry didn't like the idea. He'd have to tell a teacher all about the diary, and how many people knew why Hagrid had been expelled fifty years ago? He didn't want to be the one who brought it all up again.**

There were a few nods in agreement.

**As he left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione to go and collect his Quidditch things, another very serious worry was added to Harry's growing list. He had just set foot on the marble staircase when he heard it yet again. **

**_"Kill this time… let me rip… tear…"_**

Almost everyone looked horrified at Harry.

"What the bloody hell is that?" said Sirius aghast.

"We told you Harry was hearing voices around the school when attacks took place," said Hermione hesitantly. "I just didn't know that the words were so…" She seemed at a loss for words.

Harry started to look uncomfortable and was happy that he could continue reading.

**He shouted aloud and Ron and Hermione both jumped away from him in alarm. **

**"The voice!" said Harry, -looking over his shoulder. "I just heard it again — didn't you?" **

**Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead. **

**"Harry — I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"**

"Oh!" said Charlie, all of the sudden understanding. "Harry can hear snakes and talk to snakes when no one else can, so the monster has to be a snake!"

Charlie looked extremely pleased with himself that he figured it out as people raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"Nice work on giving away the story, Charlie," said Bill amused, and hid his laughter as he saw Charlie's horrified expression.

**And she sprinted away, up the stairs. **

**"What does she understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from. **

**"Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head. **

**"But why's she got to go to the library?" **

**"Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library." **

Everybody couldn't help but chuckle of just how true those words were.

Hermione's face went pink.

**Harry stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the Great Hall behind him, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Quidditch pitch.**

"**You'd better get moving," said Ron. "It's nearly eleven — the match —" **

**Harry raced up to Gryffindor Tower, collected his Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but his mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as he pulled on his scarlet robes in the locker room, his only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game. **

**The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics. **

**Harry was just mounting his broom when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone.**

Sirius and Tonks looked horrified. "They're cancelling Quidditch?" they both exclaimed.

"Someone was probably attacked," said Lupin calmly, but also worried.

Sirius looked torn between feeling sorry for the persons attacked and horrified that they would cancel Quidditch for the first time in nearly a century.

**Harry's heart dropped like a stone. **

**"This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick.**

**"But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play — the cup —****_Gryffindor _****—" **

**Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone: **

**"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" **

**Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her. **

**"Potter, I think you'd better come with me…"**

Hermione was starting to pale.

Charlie glanced at Hermione worriedly.

**Wondering how she could possibly suspect him this time, Harry saw Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd; he came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall didn't object. **

**"Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Weasley…" **

**Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being canceled; others looked worried. Harry and Ron followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time. **

**"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack… another ****_double _****attack."**

**Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered… Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair.**

**Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And on the bed next to her was —**

Percy paled. That must had been Penelope. He did miss her… but work comes first. Right?

**"****_Hermione_****!" Ron groaned. **

**Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.**

There was a shudder of people inhaling.

"At least you won't die in the Chamber of Secrets," said Sirius cheerfully.

He received a few looks.

Hermione couldn't help but shiver as she remembered seeing the Monster's reflection.

"What was it like?" asked Charlie quietly.

Hermione looked at him as she chewed on her lip.

"Really it was as if I fainted and then suddenly woken up," said Hermione casually, not wanting to give away what it felt like seeing the Monster's eyes piercing you. Sometimes she would see the Basilisk in her dreams, the big yellow eyes, Devil's forked tongue…

Charlie frowned, but most just gave her sympathetic expressions.

**"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them…" **

**She was holding up a small, circular mirror.**

"Needed to fix the nest that's your hair, Granger?" asked Malfoy, his lip curling.

Hermione didn't look at him. Harry did.

Malfoy kept glancing at Blaise who was hiding a faint smirk.

Harry didn't want to, but he was feeling sorry for Malfoy, who had to keep up his Slytherin appearances for his father.

Harry swore he could see red as he thought of Lucius who had fooled everyone. If Moody was here, it would be different, but he wasn't. Didn't his older self say they weren't going to send any more people?

Harry's sudden anger vanished when Lily leaned back onto his chest. He sighed quietly.

**Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione. **

**"I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case." **

**"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher.**

"Isn't that a bit much?" asked Tonks. No one answered.

**All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed.**

Sirius groaned.

**There will be no more evening activities."**

**The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."**

**She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately.**

**"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff, " said the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe?**

"Hear, hear!" many muttered under their breaths.

**Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin — why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause.**

Malfoy didn't really blame the Gryffindors for thinking that, but it _was_ a bit much. There were a few Slytherins that he was forced to stay away from that secretly got along with the other houses. Rumor was that a Slytherin was going out with a Ravenclaw, but no one has figured out whom yet.

Malfoy saw Blaise glance at him so he pretended to sneer at the book. He liked it better when father wasn't here. He didn't have to act vicious. Sure, he still didn't care for Scar Head, Mudblood, or Weaselbee, but he didn't despise them like he did before the books. Well… perhaps he still despised Weaselbee.

This is why he was feeling guilty. He _didn't_ hate them anymore, which made following the plan much harder.

"That's our Lee!" cried the twins, wiping away a fake tear.

**Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned. **

**"Percy's in shock," George told Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl — Penelope Clearwater — she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect."**

Several people couldn't help but glance at Percy and to their surprise he had gone pale.

Percy was head over wands for Penelope and he remembered how dreadful he felt when he found she had been petrified. It made him feel as if no one was safe. How he wished he could see her again… but no. The Ministry was the first priority.

**But Harry was only half-listening. He didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved out of stone. And if the culprit wasn't caught soon, he was looking at a lifetime back with the Dursleys. Tom Riddle had turned Hagrid in because he was faced with the prospect of a Muggle orphanage if the school closed. Harry now knew exactly how he had felt.**

Harry felt bitter. Not because he had compared himself to Tom Riddle – Lord Voldemort – but the likeliness between them _was_ similar.

Both were orphans, both were half-blood; both felt as if Hogwarts was their only home… Harry grimaced. They were too alike for Harry's liking.

**"What're we going to do?" said Ron quietly in Harry's ear. "D'you think they suspect Hagrid?" **

**"We've got to go and talk to him," said Harry, making up his mind. "I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start." **

**"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class —" **

**"I think," said Harry, more quietly still, "it's time to get my dad's old cloak out again."**

Sirius grinned. He was very fond of that cloak.

Mrs. Weasley shot him an incredulous look.

"How can you be grinning that your God Son is going out past curfew with a monster on the loose!" said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Sirius hesitated, deciding if he wanted to have a row or not.

Lupin curtly shook his head, but not noticeably, so only Harry and Sirius noticed.

Sirius shrugged making Mrs. Weasley's nostrils flare.

Sirius glowered at the floor. As long as Harry had his cloak on and took precautions he should be safe. It wasn't as if Voldemort was roaming the halls! How ridiculous that was! But… that _did_ happen in Harry's first year… Sirius cleared his mind. What was the chance that Harry had to face Voldemort two years in a row?

**Harry had inherited just one thing from his father: a long and silvery Invisibility Cloak. **

Sirius cocked his head at Harry. "Don't you know of their heirloom vault?"

"What?" said Harry, not believing what he just heard.

"Lily and James left you your trust fund, but of course you inherited all the heirlooms from the Potter family. Their wedding wings are in that vault – I – " Sirius stopped, his face twisting as if he was in pain.

Harry looked confused until he froze. "You were there after they were murdered," he said quietly.

Sirius hesitantly nodded. "Everything was ruined, but I made sure I took what was left of the photograph albums, James' great great grandmother's china, their wedding rings…" Sirius trailed off, his eyes staring at an opposite wall, but not really seeing it. He remembered the tears that poured down his face when he removed the rings from James and Lily's ice cold fingers. He knew that Ministry officials would probably take the heirlooms and put it in the valt, but he felt it was _his _repspoinsibility. He had sent the artifacts to Dumbledore's office, before setting off for that rat. How he wished he could have broken that traitors neck.

Harry didn't like the feeling of being vulnerable when his enemy was in the same room. Malfoy and Lucius were seeing him looking weak so he cleared his throat, put on an expressionless face and continued to read.

Many noticed the change in Harry's behavior making them exchange worried looks.

**It was their only chance of sneaking out of the school to visit Hagrid without anyone knowing about it. They went to bed at the usual time, waited until Neville, Dean, and Seamus had stopped discussing the Chamber of Secrets and finally fallen asleep, then got up, dressed again, and threw the cloak over themselves. **

**The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors wasn't enjoyable. Harry, who had wandered the castle at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, prefects, and ghosts were marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Their Invisibility Cloak didn't stop them making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Ron stubbed his toe only yards from the spot where Snape stood standing guard. Thankfully, Snape sneezed at almost exactly the moment Ron swore.**

Snape was kicking himself as everyone rolled their eyes and chuckled.

**It was with relief that they reached the oak front doors and eased them open. **

**It was a clear, starry night. They hurried toward the lit windows of Hagrid's house and pulled off the cloak only when they were right outside his front door. **

**Seconds after they had knocked, Hagrid flung it open. They found themselves face-to-face with him aiming a crossbow at them. Fang the boarhound barked loudly behind him. **

**"Oh," he said, lowering the weapon and staring at them. "What're you two doin' here?" **

**"What's that for?" said Harry, pointing at the crossbow as they stepped inside. **

**"Nothin' — nothin' —" Hagrid muttered. "I've bin expectin' — doesn' matter — Sit down — I'll make tea —"**

A few suspicious glances were thrown toward the book, while others looked unconcerned; their loyalty toward Hagrid non-wavering.

**He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. He nearly extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk of his massive hand. **

**"Are you okay, Hagrid?" said Harry. "Did you hear about Hermione?" **

**"Oh, I heard, all righ'," said Hagrid, a slight break in his voice. **

**He kept glancing nervously at the windows. He poured them both large mugs of boiling water (he had forgotten to add tea bags) and was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate when there was a loud knock on the door.**

Many were becoming more suspicious, while the others that were loyal to Hagrid were looking torn at Hagrid's obvious nervousness.

**Hagrid dropped the fruitcake. Harry and Ron exchanged panicstricken looks, then threw the Invisibility Cloak back over themselves and retreated into a corner. Hagrid checked that they were hidden, seized his crossbow, and flung open his door once more. **

**"Good evening, Hagrid." **

**It was Dumbledore. He entered, looking deadly serious, and was followed by a second, very odd-looking man. **

**The stranger had rumpled gray hair and an anxious expression, and was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime-green bowler.**

"Fudge," muttered almost everyone with either disgust or with venom.

**"That's Dad's boss!" Ron breathed. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" **

**Harry elbowed Ron hard to make him shut up. **

**Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped into one of his chairs and looked from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge. **

**"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge in rather clipped tones. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. Ministry's got to act." **

**"I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore. "You know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir —" **

**"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge. **

**"Look, Albus," said Fudge, uncomfortably. "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something — the school governors have been in touch —" **

**"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were full of a fire Harry had never seen before.**

Some looked confused, never seeing that in Dumbledore's twinkling eyes, while others nodded to themselves remembering the very rare times they saw Albus like that.

Dumbledore was frowning to himself, but Harry couldn't fathom why except if he was thinking about Fudge.

**"Look at it from my point of view," said Fudge, fidgeting with his bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something.**

Many looked disgusted and cried out in anger as they muttered under their breaths.

**If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty —" **

**"Take me?" said Hagrid, who was trembling. "Take me where?"**

"Does Hagrid go to Azkaban?" asked Sirius, his voice slightly breathless and shaky.

Hermione nodded sadly, hearing it from Harry and Ron once she had been un-petrified.

Sirius looked at the book with loathing as if he could burn the mention of Fudge from the book.

**"For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes. "Not a punishment, Hagrid,**

"Bloody hell it isn't!" said the twins in outrage. Many nodded and muttered "Hear, hear," under their breaths.

"Fred! George!" scolded Mrs. Weasley, but the twins just continued to glower at the book.

**more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology —"**

A few people snorted.

**"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.**

**Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door. **

**Dumbledore answered it. It was Harry's turn for an elbow in the ribs; he'd let out an audible gasp. **

**Mr. Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, swathed in a long black traveling cloak, smiling a cold and satisfied smile. Fang started to growl.**

"What's that git doing there?" asked Bill, frowning.

Charlie looked equally confused along with many others.

"I don't like Lucius," whispered Lily into Harry's ear making him stiffen. She had remembered seeing him in the Prophet and his expression, his eyes... they were frightening.

"Why not?" whispered Harry back as calmly as he could manage.

"He scares me," said Lily, her lips slightly trembling.

Harry merely hugged Lily a bit tighter to his chest, his arms becoming a cage around her as if he could protect her from anything.

Harry's mind was completely blank on what to do with Lucius. He didn't want to risk his future family's safety… Who did he know was great at Legilimancy?

Harry glanced at Snape and then grimaced. The last person he wanted to tell. But with his family's life in the balance he was becoming desperate. Harry nodded to himself in grim determination. He would tell Snape tonight in his next Legilimancy lesson.

**"Already here, Fudge," he said approvingly. "Good, good…" **

**"What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously. "Get outta my house!"**

"Cheers!" said many cheerfully, making Blaise's fists tighten, but not in anyone's line of sight.

**"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your — er — d'you call this a house?" said Lucius Malfoy, sneering as he looked around the small cabin. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmaster was here." **

**"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" said Dumbledore. He spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in his blue eyes. **

**"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside.**

"WHAT!" yelled many in protest, who wasn't aware of the events during Harry's second year.

"Muggleborns will be killed next!" said Tonks, her hair turning a fiery red, as she gaped.

"Silence," said Dumbledore calmly, but with a certain authority that only a great man like Albus Dumbledore could have.

Everyone tried to control themselves.

"Please continue, Harry," said Dumbledore pleasantly, looking at the ceiling.

**This is an Order of Suspension — you'll find all twelve signatures on it.**

"Probably threatened to murder their families," snarled Ginny, outraged.

Harry looked alarmed as he saw Blaise glance at her.

"It's alright, Ginny," said Harry soothingly, glancing a few times at Blaise who was beginning to smirk.

Ginny looked at Harry incredulously, but calmed her anger nonetheless.

**I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school." **

**"Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended — no, no — last thing we want just now." **

**"The appointment — or suspension — of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy smoothly. "And as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks —" **

**"See here, Malfoy, if Dumbledore can't stop them," said Fudge, whose upper lip was sweating now, "I mean to say, who can?"**

"Harry Potter!" said the twins, Ginny, Bill, Charlie, James, and Al, who then looked at each other and started laughing.

Harry allowed himself an amused smile.

**"That remains to be seen," said Mr. Malfoy with a nasty smile. "But as all twelve of us have voted —" **

**Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling. **

**'An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared.**

"Go Hagrid!" many cheered.

**"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all." **

**"Yeh can' take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"**

Many nodded in agreement.

**"Calm yourself, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply. He looked at Lucius Malfoy. **

**"If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside —"**

**"But —" stuttered Fudge. **

**"No!" growled Hagrid. **

**Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's cold gray ones. **

**"However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." **

**For a second, Harry was almost sure Dumbledore's eyes flickered toward the corner where he and Ron were hidden.**

"Did you know they were there, sir?" asked Hermione curiously.

Dumbledore merely chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling. Hermione didn't want to ask, but she _was_ curious how Dumbledore happened to know _everything._

**"Admirable sentiments," said Malfoy, bowing. "We shall all miss your — er — highly individual way of running things, Albus, and only hope your successor will manage to prevent any — ah — killins." **

**He strode to the cabin door, opened it, and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath, and said carefully, "If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right. That's all I'm sayin'."**

"Follow the spiders?" said Tonks curiously. "What does he mean by that?"

"Bet you loved hearing that, Ron," said Fred grinning.

"Sorry about your teddy bear," said George, also grinning.

A few people snorted as Ron narrowed his eyes at his brothers. _Stupid prank._

"Almost got us killed," muttered Ron to Harry who had decided to sit in an arm chair next to the couch Harry, Sirius, and the future Potters were sitting.

Harry nodded, shivering as he remembered Aragog.

**Fudge stared at him in amazement. **

**"All right, I'm comin', said Hagrid, pulling on his moleskin overcoat. But as he was about to follow Fudge through the door, he stopped again and said loudly, "An' someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm away."**

"Bit obvious, isn't it?" said Hermione to no one in particular, wondering how dense the Minister truly was.

**The door banged shut and Ron pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. **

**"We're in trouble now," Ron said hoarsely. "No Dumbledore. They might as well close the school tonight. There'll be an attack a day with him gone." **

**Fang started howling, scratching at the closed door.**

"That the end of the chapter," said Harry, closing the book.

"One more chapter before dinner and then I think we should get a good night's rest," said Mrs. Weasley.

There were a few nods in agreement, while Blaise looked disappointed.

"I'll read next," said Hermione brightly, with a smile that made Charlie's chest hurt.

"**Aragog,**" read Hermione happily.


	29. Chapter 29: Aragog

"**Aragog**," read Hermione happily.

A few confused looks were exchanged around the room. Ron, Bill noticed, was looking a bit peaky.

**Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. But with no Hagrid visible from the castle windows, striding the grounds with Fang at his heels, the scene didn't look right to Harry; no better, in fact, than the inside of the castle, where things were so horribly wrong. **

**Harry and Ron had tried to visit Hermione, but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing**.

A few mouths popped open in shock.

"B – But they've never forbidden visitors!" said Mrs. Weasley bewildered.

**"****We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off…"**

**With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled. **

**Harry constantly repeated Dumbledore's final words to himself ****_"I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." _****But what good were these words? Who exactly** **were they supposed to ask for help, when everyone was just as confused and scared as they were?**

Harry looked thoughtfully at Dumbledore. Did he know that Harry would somehow go into the Chamber of Secrets and ask for assistance? But how?

**Hagrid's hint about the spiders was far easier to understand. The trouble was, there didn't seem to be a single spider left in the castle to follow. Harry looked everywhere he went, helped (rather reluctantly) by Ron. They were hampered, of course, by the fact that they weren't allowed to wander off on their own but had to move around the castle in a pack with the other Gryffindors. Most of their fellow students seemed glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers, but Harry found it very irksome.**

**One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Draco Malfoy was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. Harry didn't realize what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Malfoy, Harry overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle. **

**"I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in…"**

Many scowls were sent in Malfoy's direction. Harry was studying Blaise, except this time he wasn't the only one.

Lupin was frowning as he glanced at Blaise. Blaise was looking rather smug. But what was there to be smug about? Wasn't Blaise supposedly friends of Luna Lovegood and the Weasley twins?

**Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione's empty seat and cauldron.**

**"Sir," said Malfoy loudly. "Sir, why don't ****_you _****apply for the headmaster's job?" **

**"Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough." **

**"Yeah, right," said Malfoy, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job****_— I'll _****tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir —" **

**Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.**

A few people chuckled.

**"****I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger —"**

Before anyone could blink, Charlie and Ron had pounced on the young Slytherin.

"OI! Get off me!" yelled Malfoy as he struggled, but to no avail.

Harry quickly pulled Ron off as Bill did the same with Charlie.

Charlie, to Harry's surprise had fire in his eyes as he glowered at him.

"He's not worth it," Harry heard Bill mutter to Charlie.

Charlie shook off his brother and sat down looking anywhere but Hermione's bewildered gaze.

Harry finally let go of Ron and pushed him in his chair.

Malfoy had a bruise on his cheek and the start of a black eye.

Harry suddenly felt scared for everyone's safety as he saw the flash of anger that crossed Blaise's face.

"Let's all calm down and read," said Harry, his voice slightly shaking.

Hermione was feeling frozen and it wasn't until a few people cleared their throats that she snapped out of it.

**The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy's last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed. **

**"Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands —"**

**"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Harry, Ron, and Dean bringing up the rear, Ron still trying to get loose. It was only safe to let go of him when Snape had seen them out of the castle and they were making their way across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. **

**The Herbology class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Justin and Hermione. **

**Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Harry went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found himself face-to-face with Ernie Macmillan. Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —"**

"I wouldn't accept it," muttered Sirius.

**He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it.**

**Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron.**

**"****That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think ****_he _****might be Slytherin's heir."**

"Ernie looks like he just wants to spread gossip," said Sirius annoyed.

Harry shrugged.

**"That's clever of you," said Ron, who didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie as readily as Harry. **

**"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked.**

**"No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared. **

**A second later, Harry spotted something. **

**Several large spiders were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting. Harry hit Ron over the hand with his pruning shears. **

**"****_Ouch! _****What're you —" **

**Harry pointed out the spiders, following their progress with his eyes screwed up against the sun.**

**"Oh, yeah," said Ron, trying, and failing, to look pleased. "But we can't follow them now —" **

"Why couldn't it have been follow the butterflies," muttered Sirius.

**Ernie and Hannah were listening curiously. **

**Harry's eyes narrowed as he focused on the spiders. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up. **

**"Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest…"**

"Well, that's that!" said Mrs. Weasley, making a few jump.

"What's what?" asked Ginny.

"They're headed to the Forbidden Forest," explained Mrs. Weasley. "They won't go."

Harry and Ron exchanged uneasy glances.

**And Ron looked even unhappier about that. **

**At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry and Ron lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot. **

**"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry told Ron. "We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help."**

"WHAT?" shouted Mrs. Weasley and, this time, Sirius.

Harry and Ron were looking guilty.

"Hagrid told us to follow the spiders, so – "

But to the Forbidden Forest, Harry!" said Sirius exasperated. "While there is a monster on the loose!"

"Probably wouldn't stop you and Dad from going into the forest," said Harry coldly.

Sirius looked taken aback and didn't say anything.

Mrs. Weasley on the other hand looked like she could breathe fire.

"Anything _happen_ in the forest?" asked Mrs. Weasley shakily.

"Er – " said Ron as he and Harry exchanged nervous glances.

'How about we read to find out!" said Hermione falsely cheery.

Mrs. Weasley crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

**"****Right," said Ron, who was twirling his wand nervously in his fingers. "Er — aren't there — aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" he added as they took their usual places at the back of Lockhart's classroom.**

"Sorry, Lupin," muttered Ron.

Lupin waved it off.

**Preferring not to answer that question, Harry said, "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns…"**

A few people snorted.

"Centaurs are not exactly the friendliest of creatures," said Teddy amused.

**Ron had never been into the Forbidden Forest before. Harry had entered it only once and had hoped never to do so again.**

"Because bloody Voldemort was in there," muttered James darkly.

Many flinched and looked at James in awe.

"What?" asked James confused, shifting nervously from all the stares.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" explained Neville, speechless. He was amazed how casual Harry's children could say the name.

"Er – and that's a bad thing?" said James, still confused of the big fuss. Wasn't everyone in the room used to hearing the name by now?

"I think it's brilliant!" said Harry and Sirius cheerfully grinning.

James looked relieved.

**Lockhart bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant.**

"Didn't he just get out of St. Mungos?" asked Al curiously.

"He was at St. Mungos?" asked Mrs. Weasley shocked and blushing slightly.

"Should be in Azkaban," muttered Ron darkly.

"RONALD!" said Mrs. Weasley bewildered.

"You'll find out," grumbled Ron.

**"Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?" **

"Oh, I don't know," said George brightly. "Do you know, Fred?"

"It could be because someone put a permanent sticking charm of a tutu around Bulstrode!" mused Fred.

"Or, there's a giant monster on the loose," said George. "I wonder…"

Many chuckled at the twin's antics.

**People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered.**

**"Don't you people realize," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away —" **

**"Says who?" said Dean Thomas loudly. **

**"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two.**

"Oh, yes he would," almost everyone muttered darkly.

**"Oh, yes he would," said Ron, even more loudly than Dean. **

**"I flatter myself I know a ****_touch _****more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley," said Lockhart in a self-satisfied tone. **

**Ron started to say that he didn't think so, somehow, but stopped in midsentence when Harry kicked him hard under the desk.**

**"We weren't there, remember?" Harry muttered. **

**But Lockhart's disgusting cheeriness, his hints that he had always thought Hagrid was no good, his confidence that the whole business was now at an end, irritated Harry so much that he yearned to throw ****_Gadding with Ghouls _****right in Lockhart's stupid face. Instead he contented himself with scrawling a note to Ron: ****_Let's do it tonight._**

Harry was feeling guilty that he forced Ron into it. He should have just done it alone.

**Ron read the message, swallowed hard, and looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he nodded. **

**The Gryffindor common room was always very crowded these days, because from six o'clock onward the Gryffindors had nowhere else to go. They also had plenty to talk about, with the result that the common room often didn't empty until past midnight.**

**Harry went to get the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. Fred and George challenged Harry and Ron to a few games of Exploding Snap, and Ginny sat watching them, very subdued in Hermione's usual chair. Harry and Ron kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly,**

"I thought there was something fishy going on…" mused Ginny. "I had tried to follow you two, but Percy caught me."

Harry was amused and worried, glad, for once, that Percy had caught her.

**but even so, it was well past midnight when Fred, George, and Ginny finally went to bed. **

**Harry and Ron waited for the distant sounds of two dormitory doors closing before seizing the cloak, throwing it over themselves, and climbing through the portrait hole. **

**It was another difficult journey through the castle, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the oak front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the moonlit grounds.**

**"'****Course," said Ron abruptly as they strode across the black grass, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. **

"One could hope," said the twins grinning. They were rather envious that their brother got to enter the Forest before they did.

**Those spiders might not've been going there at all. I know it ****looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but…" **

**His voice trailed away hopefully.**

**They reached Hagrid's house, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. When Harry pushed the door open, Fang went mad with joy at the sight of them. Worried he might wake everyone at the castle with his deep, booming barks, they hastily fed him treacle fudge from a tin on the mantelpiece, which glued his teeth together.**

**Harry left the Invisibility Cloak on Hagrid's table. There would be no need for it in the pitch-dark forest.**

Sirius and Lupin groaned. Harry on the inside groaned, knowing now how stupid that was of him.

"I know, I know!" said Harry hastily, before Sirius could reprimand him for such a grave mistake.

**"****C'mon, Fang, we're going for a walk," said Harry, patting his leg, and Fang bounded happily out of the house behind them, dashed to the edge of the forest, and lifted his leg against a large sycamore tree.**

**Harry took out his wand, murmured, ****_"Lumos!" _****and a tiny light appeared at the end of it, just enough to let them watch the path for signs of spiders. **

**"Good thinking," said Ron. "I'd light mine, too, but you know — it'd probably blow up or something…" **

**Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder, pointing at the grass. Two solitary spiders were hurrying away from the wandlight into the shade of the trees. **

**"Okay," Ron sighed as though resigned to the worst, "I'm ready. Let's go."**

**So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Harry's wand, they followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Harry's wand shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leaving the path. **

**Harry paused, trying to see where the spiders were going, but everything outside his little sphere of light was pitch-black. He had never been this deep into the forest before. He could vividly remember Hagrid advising him not to leave the forest path last time he'd been in here. But Hagrid was miles away now, probably sitting in a cell in Azkaban, and he had also said to follow the spiders.**

Sirius pitied Hagrid. Hagrid wasn't an animagus so he couldn't escape the grief, the pain, the insanity… Sirius shivered.

**Something wet touched Harry's hand and he jumped backward, crushing Ron's foot, but it was only Fang's nose. **

**"What d'you reckon?" Harry said to Ron, whose eyes he could just make out, reflecting the light from his wand.**

**"We've come this far," said Ron. **

**So they followed the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. Harry could feel Fang's hot breath on his hand. More than once, they had to stop, so that Harry could crouch down and find the spiders in the wandlight. **

**They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their robes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.**

Charlie gasped.

"What?" whispered Bill.

"In my seventh year," whispered Charlie. "Hagrid told us about the ground in the Forest that sloped and was pitch dark. He told us to never go down there without him or we could be eaten."

Bill eyes widened."What was the creature?"

Charlie looked grim. "It was described as an army of spiders that had a strengthening and engorgio charm placed upon it."

Bill took in Ron's pale face.

Many were now curious as to what Bill and Charlie were whispering about and the cause of their dismal expressions.

**Then Fang suddenly let loose a great, echoing bark, making both Harry and Ron jump out of their skins. **

**"What?" said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch-dark, and gripping Harry's elbow very hard. **

**"There's something moving over there," Harry breathed. "Listen… sounds like something big…"**

Many people in the room held their breath.

**They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees. **

**"Oh, no," said Ron. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh —" **

**"Shut up," said Harry frantically. "It'll hear you."**

"It's already heard Fang!" said Mrs. Weasley panicky.

Many people leaned in anticipation.

**"Hear ****_me_****?" said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. "It's already heard Fang!" **

**The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence. **

**"What d'you think it's doing?" said Harry.**

**"****Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron.**

"Don't say that!" cried Tonks and Mrs. Weasley in horror.

No one bothered to point out that this happened three years ago.

**They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move. **

**"D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered. **

**"Dunno —" **

**Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder.**

Charlie frowned. He didn't remember Hagrid saying anything about a bright light…

**"****Harry!" Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief "Harry, it's our car!"**

"What?!" said many people confused.

"The one you flew to Hogwarts?" asked George amazed.

"Has to be!" said Fred, equally amazed.

**_"What?" _**

**"Come on!" **

**Harry blundered after Ron toward the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing. **

**Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner.**

**"It's been here all the time!" said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild…" **

**The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry, who could feel him quivering. His breathing slowing down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes. **

**"And we thought it was going to attack us!" said Ron, leaning against the car and patting it. "I wondered where it had gone!"**

"Thank Merlin, Arthur isn't here," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

**Harry squinted around on the floodlit ground for signs of more spiders, but they had all scuttled away from the glare of the headlights. **

**"We've lost the trail," he said. "C'mon, let's go and find them." **

**Ron didn't speak. He didn't move. His eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Harry. His face was livid with terror.**

"_What?!" _said many people in the room frantically.

**Harry didn't even have time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise and suddenly he felt something long and hairy seize him around the middle and lift him off the ground, so that he was hanging facedown.**

"What _is_ it?" said Tonks, her eyes wide.

"A giant spider," muttered Ron, shivering.

Harry, meanwhile, wish they would stop talking and continue reading. His chest was feeling rather compressed from, what he assumed, the spider's pincers.

Ginny noticed out of the corner of her eyes that Harry had put an arm sneakily around his stomach. She narrowed her eyes.

"Hermione," said Ginny, not daring to take her eyes off of Harry. "Can you continue reading?"

Hermione looked confused at Ginny's impatience, but then noticed her line of gaze.

Hermione quickly cleared her throat and continued to read.

**Struggling, terrified, he heard more clicking, and saw Ron's legs leave the ground, too, heard Fang whimpering and howling — next moment, he was being swept away into the dark trees. **

**Head hanging, Harry saw that what had hold of him was marching on six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching him tightly below a pair of shining black pincers. Behind him, he could hear another of the creatures, no doubt carrying Ron. They were moving into the very heart of the forest. Harry could hear Fang fighting to free himself from a third monster, whining loudly, but Harry couldn't have yelled even if he had wanted to; he seemed to have left his voice back with the car in the clearing.**

Sirius' hold on Harry shoulders tightened. Harry was feeling rather dizzy as blood rushed to his head.

**He never knew how long he was in the creature's clutches; he only knew that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for him to see that the leaf-strewn ground was now swarming with spiders. Craning his neck sideways, he realized that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene he had ever laid eyes on.**

Many eyes widened.

Harry smiled bitterly. He wished that was the worst scene he ever witnessed.

**Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Harry made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very center of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load.**

Many mouths were agape in horror.

Hermione shivered. She was, for once, thankful she had been petrified.

**Harry fell to the ground on all fours as the spider released him.**

Harry grunted from the impact.

**Ron and Fang thudded down next to him. Fang wasn't howling anymore, but cowering silently on the spot. Ron looked exactly like Harry felt. His mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and his eyes were popping. **

Ron's ears went scarlet at the description.

**Harry suddenly realized that the spider that had dropped him was saying something. It had been hard to tell, because he clicked his pincers with every word he spoke.**

"They could fluently talk?" said Hermione bewildered.

Harry merely nodded.

**"Aragog!" it called. "Aragog!" **

**And from the middle of the mighty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. There was gray in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind.**

**Many people leaned forward intently.**

**"What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly. **

**"Men," clicked the spider who had caught Harry. **

**"Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.**

"Why does Hagrid know this… spider?" said James confused.

"That's like asking why Hagrid is Hagrid," muttered Fred as his twin nodded in agreement.

**"Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Ron. **

**"Kill them,"**

Mrs. Weasley let out a sort of terrified squeak.

**clicked Aragog fretfully. "I was sleeping…" **

**"We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry shouted. His heart seemed to have left his chest to pound in his throat.**

Malfoy respected Harry a bit more. He would have just made a run for it or stood there like a gaping idiot.

**Click, click, click went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow. **

**Aragog paused. **

**"Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly. **

**"Hagrid's in trouble," said Harry, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come." **

**"In trouble?" said the aged spider, and Harry thought he heard concern beneath the clicking pincers.**

Ron snorted. He barely heard a word the spider said… he couldn't take his eyes off the sharp and fast moving pincers.

**"****But why has he sent you?"**

**Harry thought of getting to his feet but decided against it; he didn't think his legs would support him. So he spoke from the ground, as calmly as he could. **

"Bloody Gryffindor courage," muttered Severus to himself.

Dumbledore's keen ears picked up the muttering and couldn't help but chuckle.

**"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a — a — something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban."**

**Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except applause didn't usually make Harry feel sick with fear.**

Ron furrowed his eyebrows as thought back to that night. He remembered glancing at Harry to see if they should make a run for it… Harry had looked completely calm. A bit tense, yes, but calm nonetheless.

**"****But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that ****_I _****was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."**

"See?" said Sirius in a self satisfying tone. "I knew Hagrid wouldn't do such a thing!"

A few people rolled their eyes and Harry quietly chuckled.

**"And you… you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" said Harry, who could feel cold sweat on his forehead. **

**"I!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness…"**

"Oh!" said Lily, suddenly realizing who Hagrid was. She knew it had been a familiar name, but hadn't been able to put a finger on it.

Harry looked at her curiously.

"Al," asked Lily seriously. "Is Hagrid the one that – "

"LILY," barked Teddy, who had been quiet for most of the reading.

Ginny swiftly glared at Teddy.

"Sorry," whispered Lily, suddenly feeling very sad.

Harry and Ginny exchanged worried looks.

**Harry summoned what remained of his courage. **

**"So you never — never attacked anyone?" **

**"Never," croaked the old spider. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom.**

Charlie zoned out as he pondered what Hermione just read. A bathroom? What girl was murdered in a bathroom? Charlie eyes widened as he tried to remember what Hermione and Ron were explaining of what they skipped in the book. Didn't they make the Polyjuice Potion in an abandoned girl's bathroom? Who was the ghost that stayed there? Moaning… Murial? No, that was his Great Aunt.

Moaning… "…MYRTLE!"

Hermione abruptly stopped reading as everyone turned to stare at the lost in thought red head who had suddenly shouted out.

Hermione raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Er – " Charlie's face started turning a bright red.

"Yes?" said Hermione, a bit impatiently.

"The girl who died… does she happen to be Moaning Myrtle in that empty girls' bathroom?"

Hermione, Harry, and Ron looked surprised at Charlie.

"Y – yes," stuttered Hermione, shocked. How did he figure it out so quickly?

Charlie beamed; proud he had figured it out.

"Anyone want to explain what Uncle Charlie figured out?" asked James curiously.

"It'll come up eventually," dismissed Charlie as he motioned for Hermione to continue.

Hermione snapped out of her shock. How was Charlie not in Ravenclaw? Or was it just that all Weasley's went to Gryffindor?

**I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet…" **

**"But then… Do you know what ****_did _****kill that girl?" said Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again —" **

**His words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around him.**

Harry was starting to shift uncomfortably. He knew his time of exploring the Chamber of Secrets was near.

**"The thing that lives in the castle," said Aragog, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school." **

**"What is it?" said Harry urgently.**

**More loud clicking, more rustling; the spiders seemed to be closing in. **

**"We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times." **

**Harry didn't want to press the subject, not with the spiders pressing closer on all sides. Aragog seemed to be tired of talking. He was backing slowly into his domed web, but his fellow spiders continued to inch slowly toward Harry and Ron.**

Sirius' arm tightened around Harry's shoulders as Mrs. Weasley starting wringing her hands with wide eyes.

**"We'll just go, then," Harry called desperately to Aragog, hearing leaves rustling behind him. **

**"Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not…" **

"Because why would it be that easy," said Tonks sarcastically.

**"But — but —" **

**"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friends of Hagrid."**

"Oh, no, Oh, no," chanted Mrs. Weasley repeatedly as she kept taking glances at her youngest son and her, maybe, future son-in-law.

**Harry spun around. Feet away, towering above him, was a solid wall of spiders, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads. **

**Even as he reached for his wand, Harry knew it was no good, there were too many of them, but as he tried to stand, ready to die fighting,**

"Of course," chorused almost everyone under their breaths making the black-haired wizard flush.

**a loud, long note sounded, and a blaze of light flamed through the hollow. **

**Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights ****glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. The car screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ron and the doors flew open.**

"A Muggle artifact saved your lives then?" mused Bill.

"With a bit of tinkering from Dad," added Ginny grinning, despite the circumstances.

**"****Get Fang!" Harry yelled, diving into the front seat; Ron seized the boarhound around the middle and threw him, yelping, into the back of the car — the doors slammed shut — Ron didn't touch the accelerator but the car didn't need him; the engine roared and they were off, hitting more spiders. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew.**

**Harry looked sideways at Ron. His mouth was still open in the silent scream, but his eyes weren't popping anymore.**

Malfoy starting snickering, but instantly turned it into a cough as he noticed the looks he was receiving.

**"Are you okay?" **

"Always worrying about everyone else," said Hermione amused.

Ron frowned. Wasn't he just as caring as Harry?

**Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak. **

**They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and Harry saw the side mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Harry could again see patches of sky.**

**The car stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windshield. They had reached the edge of the forest. Fang flung himself at the window in his anxiety to get out, and when Harry opened the door, he shot off through the trees to Hagrid's house, tail between his legs. Harry got out too, and after a minute or so, Ron seemed to regain the feeling in his limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. Harry gave the car a grateful pat as it reversed back into the forest and disappeared from view. **

**Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak. Fang was trembling under a blanket in his basket. When Harry got outside again, he found Ron being violently sick in the pumpkin patch.**

The twins grimaced. Maybe that had been too harsh of a prank…

**"****Follow the spiders," said Ron weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive."**

**"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," said Harry. **

**"That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" said Ron, thumping the wall of the cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!"**

"That's a bit harsh, Ron," said Hermione casually.

Ron looked shocked, while Charlie was feeling extremely smug.

**He was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?" **

**"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets," said Harry, throwing the cloak over Ron and prodding him in the arm to make him walk. "He was innocent."**

**Ron gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Aragog in a cupboard wasn't his idea of being innocent.**

Ron shook his head. He had thought that risking their necks in the Forbidden Forest just to find out Hagrid's innocence was a bloody waste of time.

**As the castle loomed nearer Harry twitched the cloak to make sure their feet were hidden, then pushed the creaking front doors ajar. They walked carefully back across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase, holding their breath as they passed corridors where watchful sentries were walking. At last they reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. **

**They took off the cloak and climbed the winding stair to their dormitory. **

**Ron fell onto his bed without bothering to get undressed. Harry, however, didn't feel very sleepy. He sat on the edge of his fourposter, thinking hard about everything Aragog had said. **

**The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, he thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort — even other monsters didn't want to name it. But he and Ron were no closer to finding out what it was, or how it petrified its victims. Even Hagrid had never known what was in the Chamber of Secrets.**

"Wasn't that a waste of time?" asked Al curiously.

Harry shrugged. He thought it had answered a few questions.

**Harry swung his legs up onto his bed and leaned back against his pillows, watching the moon glinting at him through the tower window. **

**He couldn't see what else they could do. They had hit dead ends everywhere. Riddle had caught the** **wrong person, the Heir of Slytherin had got off, and no one could tell whether it was the same person, or a different one, who had opened the Chamber this time. There was nobody else to ask. Harry lay down, still thinking about what Aragog had said.**

**He was becoming drowsy when what seemed like their very last hope occurred to him, and he suddenly sat bolt upright.**

**"Ron," he hissed through the dark, "Ron —" **

**Ron woke with a yelp like Fang's, stared wildly around, and saw Harry. **

**"Ron — that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom," said Harry, ignoring Neville's snuffling snores from the corner. "What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?"**

Understanding flashed through many people's minds. Charlie was grinning broadly.

**Ron rubbed his eyes, frowning through the moonlight. And then he understood, too. **

**"You ****_don't _****think — not ****_Moaning Myrtle_****?"**

"That's the end of the chapter," said Hermione, closing the book.

"Supper!" said Mrs. Weasley, exhausted; the emotional stress of the books taking its toll.

Everyone perked up at the mention of food, but was instantly wary as they smelled drool worthy scents from the supposed _empty_ kitchen.

Harry slowly and quietly walked over to the kitchen and was met with a surprise.

Piles of mash potatoes topped with gravy, perfectly cooked turkey legs, pitchers of Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice, and more delicious foods scattered the table.

Everyone's eyes widened and mouths popped open at the tasty meal awaiting them.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry jumped and looked down.

"Dobby!" said Harry amazed and grinned at the freed house elf.

Dobby bowed, his nose touching the ground. "Dinner is ready!"

"Thank you, Dobby," said Harry gratefully.

"You own a house elf?" asked Bill, surprised.

Dobby narrowed his bulging eyes. "Dobby is a free elf! Dobby was freed by Harry Potter from his horrible masters! Dobby – "

"Sorry, sorry," said Bill quickly, walking hurriedly to an open seat.

"Hello, Dobby," said Hermione kindly. "How is freedom suiting you?"

"Very well, Miss," said Dobby grinning.

Dobby's eyes widened in horror as Malfoy came into view. Malfoy's mouth popped open in shock.

Blaise smacked Malfoy upside the head. He looked very confused and hesitantly followed Blaise to a seat.

Now Dobby was looking very confused.

"This is delicious, Dobby!" said Charlie, grinning.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at Charlie as she scooped herself some squash.

Dobby's gaze landed on Charlie and he did another low bow. "Anything for Harry Potter's friends!"

Malfoy was still trying to process it all. Didn't father say Dobby defied them and ran off? How does Dobby know Potter? His father had lied to him. But this wasn't exactly the first time.

Blaise shot Malfoy a look and Draco quickly hid his face from emotion as he poured himself some Butterbeer and a slice of apple crisp.

Harry, for the first time in ages, was feeling rather relaxed despite Lucius being near. His future family, Mrs. Weasley, and Teddy was talking and laughing as Lily illustrated with her hands how her brothers ran into each other on their broom sticks because she had shifted them with her accidental magic. Ginny was leaning against Harry's shoulders as she clutched her stomach from the laughter and Harry couldn't help but kiss the top of her head.

Sirius was teasing Lupin and Tonks as he asked them when the wedding was, making the werewolf and metamorphagus blush.

Hermione and Dobby were talking about Dobby's new job at Hogwarts and how he was receiving pay. Hermione was insisting that Dobby ask to raise his pay, which Dobby declined.

Dumbledore was humming an unfamiliar tune to himself and Severus was shooting the headmaster dark looks as he grumpily ripped a piece of turkey with his teeth.

Charlie and Bill were discussing in hushed whispers about the love potion papers and a spell that they think will reveal the papers' owners.

The twins were whispering excitedly on how to take the extendable ears to the next level and how the puking pastels were almost ready to be tested.

And Ron… Ron was shoveling food into his mouth angrily as he observed the happy room. Why was he the only one feeling anger from the happiness? Was it because Hermione and Charlie kept looking at each other every few seconds? Or that his best mate just kissed his little sister? Or maybe it was because the lookalike Harry, Al, was giving him dark looks? He didn't know, but he felt ready to explode.

Harry glanced at Ron and he was surprised to see that his ears were maroon.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry curiously.

"Everything!" exploded Ron, and laughter from various conversations died out to stare at the enraged red head.

"Like?" said Harry impatiently.

Ron looked like he was too angry for words. "You know what?" said Ron, standing up. "I'm done. I'm going to get some sleep."

And Ron left without another word, not looking back.

"Why is Ron being such a git!" exploded Ginny. "Why does he have to ruin the happiest moments?"

"He's jealous," murmured Al.

"What?" said Harry surprised.

"Nothing," said Al, scooping some ice cream onto his plate.

An hour later everyone finally had their fill and was thanking Dobby whole heartily making the elf's eyes water with happiness.

Everyone bid each other good night and trudged bloated and tired to their rooms. Harry kissed Ginny good night outside her and Hermione's room making the red head practically skip to her bed.

Harry chuckled and was left in a deaf silence. He pondered if he should say good night to Lily and the others before he went to his Occlumency lesson. Before he even thought of it, he was outside Teddy's room.

Harry knocked once and opened the door to an amusing sight.

Teddy had Al by the foot and was red in the face, while James was also upside down and glowering at a giggling Lily who was rolling around on the floor.

"Having fun?" said Harry amused.

"DADDY!" screamed Lily and ran into Harry's open arms. James suddenly fell and was muttering swear words under his breath.

"Aren't you tired?" asked Harry smiling slightly at the green eyed girl in his arms.

"Nope!" said Lily, grinning.

Harry looked resigned as he stared at the clock that was near the door. "I've got to get going."

Teddy looked at him curiously, but Harry was already walking toward the door.

"Have fun, Teddy," said Harry, winking at Lily who suddenly got a mischievous glint in her eye that could've only been from Ginny.

"Night Al, James, Teddy," said Harry nodding at each boy who was glaring at the other.

"Night, Dad," sighed Teddy as he studied the scene in front of him.

Harry smiled and closed the door behind him as he trekked to the Meeting Room.

"You're late," sneered Snape as a welcoming greeting to Harry as he entered the room.

Harry didn't bother to retort. The room looked the same as it had the night before. Tables and chairs were pushed back and the pensieve was on the table.

"Have you been closing your mind before bed?" asked Snape coldly.

Harry hesitated. "Yes, sir,"

"We shall see," said Snape. "Wand out,"

Harry got out his wand and Snape did the same.

"Legilimens!"

The room swam in front of his eyes and vanished, image after image scrolled through his brain as it blinded him to his surroundings.

It was much, much worse.

He was seven and was getting punched in the nose by Dudley for stealing a piece of cheese from the refrigerator. Harry was in the graveyard, tied to Tom Riddle's father's grave, as Voldemort extended a long white finger to Harry's scar and he struggled hopelessly away from the red eyed murderer. He was watching Sirius' soul being sucked out by the dementors by the lake. He was five and Uncle Vernon had just slapped his face, making him fall with momentum onto the coffee table. Harry's eyes were pleading for forgiveness, but his Uncle's face was already purple with rage as he bared his teeth and brought up his fist.

"NO!"

Harry was somehow now on the floor and Harry hopelessly searched for his glasses. A hand came close to Harry's face holding what he needed and Harry took it gratefully. Harry's vision became clear and he immediately noticed the look of hesitation on Snape's face as the Potions Professors' wand was aimed down at him.

"You have not been practicing," said Snape quietly.

"I – "

"Do you realize the importance of this?" whispered Snape.

"Well, I – "

"You should!" sneered Snape angrily as he kicked a chair behind him.

Harry could only stare with shock.

"The Dark Lord _will_ be able to control you, if you don't _master this!"_

Snape kicked another chair and it splintered into pieces.

"Again," said Snape, with a deathly calm tone to his voice that made Harry's breath start to quicken.

"_Legilimens!" _

Harry and Ginny were sharing their first kiss in the Room of Requirement, making his heart burst with happiness. He was spinning Lily around Charlie and Bill's room making her giggle with delight. He could hear a woman screaming before he passed out from the dementors attack on the Hogwarts train in his third year. Blaise had Harry by the throat in the Meeting Room as Harry kicked helplessly against him.

Harry gasped as he came back to reality. He was on the floor again and quickly brushed himself off.

He noticed that Snape's mouth was open with shock. "What was that last memory?"

Harry gulped. He was going to tell Snape about Lucius, but now…

"What was that, Potter?" asked Snape, more loudly.

"Lucius," murmured Harry.

"Spit it out," said Snape, narrowing his black beady eyes.

"LUCIUS!" shouted Harry, before clapping a hand to his mouth.

"That's impossible," said Snape wary and surprised.

Harry shook his head; his scar was starting to burn. "It's Lucius Malfoy from the future. He's using PolyJuice Potion."

"How long have you known this?" asked Snape quietly.

"A few hours," muttered Harry.

"And why, may I ask," said Snape, walking closer to Harry. "Was no one informed?"

Harry's mouth felt dry. "I would only be able to tell someone good at Legilimancy and I can't tell Dumbledore without wanting to – " He didn't finish the sentence. "He said he would murder everyone in this room." whispered Harry. "Lily first if I told anyone."

"You may go, Potter," said Snape quietly. "Be sure to clear your mind and we will take a break tomorrow."

Harry nodded and started rubbing his scar as the pain grew stronger as he made his way to the door.

"Good night, Professor," said Harry curtly, before closing the door and heading to Bill and Charlie's room.

Bill was already waiting for him with a calming draught and Harry took it gratefully; the bitter liquid quickly changing to Butterbeer-sweet and the pain beginning to numb.

"I'm sorry," said Harry apologetically. "But I need to sleep."

Charlie and Bill waved it off.

"Clear your mind, Harry," reminded Charlie, before he and Bill got back to work, casting various spells and enchantments on the papers and chocolates.

Harry climbed into bed, not even bothering to change into his nightly wear, and, though his mind was set on clearing his mind, he fell into a dreamless sleep just as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Thanks for reading! (:

BTW, I'm not skipping anymore chapters. MAYBE a few in the 3rd (but since I've not written that far, I have no idea.) So, if any of you guys were worried about too much skipping, no need to worry(:


	30. Chapter 30: The Chamber of Secrets

Ron was pacing the room that he now shared alone. It was nearly midnight and he could not succumb to sleep: so many things conflicting into his mind.

Mostly it was Hermione.

Merlin, why didn't he realize how much he wanted her _before_ Charlie started going after her? But what made Ron's heart burn with jealousy was the fact that even after Hermione found out Charlie gave her the love potion they _still_ exchanged those emotion-filled glances. The secretive looks…

Ron kicked the side table, knocking over the cheap Chudley Cannons lamp and making it crash into pieces.

He stepped past the pieces of ceramic to the bright orange wall. He punched it as hard as he could. Why did his bloody brother have to ruin it? Another punch to the wall. Hermione could've been all for he and _Charlie_ had to wreck it. He started punching rapidly, pretending the wall was his stupid older brother's face.

He heard a knock on the door making him jump in surprise. He shook his hand out, the cuts prominent on his pulsing hand, and cursed under his breath as he stepped near the door.

"Go away, Harry," shouted Ron angrily, still shaking his hand.

The door opened making him jump back and to Ron's bewilderment, Blaise stepped into his room with his usual faint smirk on his face.

"Why the bloody hell are you in my room?" sneered Ron with venom.

Blaise held his hands up in surrender with a cocky smirk still planted on his face. He raised an eyebrow to Ron's hand, but Ron just looked at him with his jaw set, his fists clenched painfully.

"Just wanted to talk," said Blaise casually, making Ron's eyebrows shoot up.

"Get – "

"You want the Mudblood," interrupted Blaise, quirking an eyebrow as he stepped closer to Ron. "Don't you?"

"Don't call her that!" spat Ron.

"Well?"

Ron stayed silent.

"I can tell you when Weasley and Granger will be meeting tomorrow,"

Ron looked straight at Blaise's more pronouncing smirk.

"Tell me."

Hermione awoke the next day feeling like a giddy school girl. And how ridiculous was that! How illogical! And yet… she couldn't stop the overwhelming feelings.

But what if Charlie didn't see her like that anymore? What if he said those three words and gave her, her second kiss for nothing?

Hermione rubbed her sweaty hands on her Muggle pajama shorts before sneaking quietly past Ginny who had a slight smile on her face (most likely dreaming of Harry and her future children) and closed the door carefully.

"Charlie?" whispered Hermione as she entered the dark kitchen.

She could feel her heart beating rapidly and a cold chill as if someone was watching her.

Arms wrapped around her mid-section making her jump with a squeak. She heard a familiar and warm chuckle.

"Mione," whispered Charlie.

Hermione felt herself blush as she let out a sigh of relief. She had never been held this way. Not even when she and Viktor were dating last year.

"Hi," whispered Hermione lamely.

"Hi," whispered Charlie back.

They were silent for a few moments, but it wasn't an awkward one. It was almost… comfortable.

"Where does this leave us?" whispered Charlie, squeezing Hermione lightly.

Hermione turned to look Charlie straight in the face as she searched his blue eyes that seemed to be much darker than Ron's. Much more open.

"I – " Hermione's words faltered her for the first time as Charlie swept a lock of hair from her face, but his hand stayed to rub the blush on her cheek.

Charlie searched Hermione's face, looking for a form of permission; to see if he should painfully stop and walk away. Having Hermione close her eyes and lean into his hand made his heart clench painfully and his breathing stall.

Charlie leaned in even further until he finally touched her lips, but this time, she kissed back. His circuits to his brain seemed to disconnect as soon as they touched. He had one hand behind her neck and another around her waist. He closed his eyes and deepened the kiss.

Hermione felt happy, secure as she moved her lips against his. It felt natural, unlike the awkwardness her kiss was with Viktor. It seemed delirious to have such thoughts from the mind of someone who believed in facts and logic, but she was in bliss at that moment.

"Does this mean you're cheating on me, Hermione?"

Charlie and Hermione jumped apart, but Charlie kept a firm grip around Hermione's waist so he wouldn't go after his brother.

"What?" asked Hermione surprised.

"What are you doing up?" asked Charlie, narrowing his eyes. His brother _never _got up early.

Ron didn't even spare Charlie a glance, his unwavering cold stare on Hermione's face.

"Ron," said Hermione quietly. "I'm not in a relationship with you."

Ron's ears went slightly scarlet and his fists clenched; Charlie noticed there were healing cuts on Ron's hands.

"We get married in the future, Hermione!" said Ron, his voice getting louder.

"W – What?" stuttered Hermione shocked.

Charlie's eyes widened.

"Teddy told me," said Ron, his face expressionless. "You had two miscarriages,"

Tears pricked Hermione's eyes. "No," she whispered. Her mother had told her it was common on the Granger and Graham sides to have them… but she would never have thought it would happen to her.

"One was supposed to be a boy," said Ron, stepping closer to Hermione. Charlie tightened his grip around Hermione, pulling her slightly behind him. "Another a girl,"

"Please," whispered Hermione, the tears flowing faster. "Stop,"

"We were going to name our first daughter Rose," said Ron, taking another step forward. "And our son Hugo,"

"No, please, no," chanted Hermione under her breath, looking ashamed of herself. This made Charlie snap. It wasn't her fault.

"Lay off," said Charlie, his eyes blazing with rage.

Anger rearranged Ron's features.

"You have no say in this Charlie," snarled Ron. "This is between me and my wife,"

Hermione was trembling, her spiteful anger that usually came from her gone.

"She's not your wife, yet," said Charlie, putting Hermione noticeably behind him. "The future can always be _changed_."

"WE BELONG TOGETHER, MERLIN DAMNIT," shouted Ron, his face twisted in anger, making him look unnoticeable. "WHY THE BLOODY HELL CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?"

Hermione had tears pouring down her cheeks, no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She was a Gryffindor! She should be known for her bravery, and yet she cowered behind Charlie (though not exactly willingly) as if a cowardly Slytherin!

Many people in the Room of Requirement were starting to reawaken by the shouting and were shocked to take in the sight. Charlie was looking protective as he hid a bright eyed Hermione behind him. Ron was leaning forward; red in the face, looking angrier than anyone has ever seen him.

Harry was holding Ginny from attacking Ron. Bill was at a loss of what to do.

Charlie and Ron seemed to be in their own personal world.

"Get this through your thick skull," said Charlie coldly. "The future can change. We already have! When Sirius and Remus met the Dursley's! When Harry saw through V – Voldemort's mind!" Or at least that's what Charlie assumed, and guessing from Harry's surprised reaction his assumption was correct.

"SHE IS MINE," said Ron venomously.

"NO!"

Everyone turned to look at a wide-eyed, panicky Al, who was looking upon the scene in front of him with anger.

Al bravely stepped through the small crowd of people and in between Ron and Charlie.

Al turned to face Ron, putting his shoulders back, as he put a hand through his hair nervously. Harry noticed with shock that he did the exact same thing. Sirius noticed that James used to do that when he was nervous.

"Uncle Ron, I'm sorry," said Al, his voice slightly shaking. "But you need to leave Aunt Mione alone."

A stare down started to take place between the second year Gryffindor and Ron.

"And why," said Ron slowly. "Should I do that?"

"I love my aunt," said Al bravely and confident. "And Charlie makes her happier – " said Al, but instantly wished he would of rephrased.

"Oh!" said Ron, looking murderous and letting out a dark chuckle. "So Hermione has cheated on me with Charlie in the future,"

"N – "

"Oh, no, no, no!" said Ron, shaking his finger at the young Gryffindor. "Explains a lot, doesn't it? I start to bore her or she gets tired of me and suddenly Charlie swoops in to save the _poor_ Hermione Granger from the dullness."

"Of c – course not, Ronald!" squeaked Hermione, shocked. "I would never cheat on a wiz – "

"But you already did!" exploded Ron. "Snogging _is_ considered a form of cheating."

"STOP IT!" exploded Al. "AUNT MIONE WAS UNHAPPY WITH YOU IN THE FUTURE! YOU HURT HER IN THE FUTURE! SHE WAS SCARED OF YOU!"

"Bloody hell," muttered Sirius to Lupin. "Al inherited Lily's gene,"

"Al," said Teddy bewildered. "Are you – "

"OF COURSE I AM SURE! I SAW IT! THE MISCARRIAGES MADE HIM SNAP!"

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER!" shouted Teddy horrified.

Snape couldn't help but jump, and instantly straightened up, looking casually and bored around him to make sure no one noticed. The twins were exchanging conspiratorial grins.

Al was glad he didn't shout his actual suspicions. That _Uncle Ron_ had caused the miscarriages to happen.

"Theodore Remus Lupin," mocked Al coldly. "You know me. I don't lie unless I have too. Uncle Ron doesn't deserve anyone's respect the stupid bloody gi – "

Ron suddenly stepped towards Al threateningly and this made Harry's protective instincts kick in.

"Don't you dare," said Harry coldly, stepping in front of Al and putting the boy behind him. Ron jolted back on his heels and glowered at Harry.

"You think I would attack my sister's future son?"

"He's my son, too," said Harry quietly.

"The future can always be changed," said Ron, mocking Charlie's words. "I think I'm going to sit the reading out for a while. Someone could leave me food outside my room."

Ron took one last glance at Hermione's face before pushing past the blockade of people and slamming his bedroom door.

Hermione let out a shaky sob and went down on her knees. Charlie went down with her and just held her, whispering words of comfort into her ear.

Harry turned around and bent down to Al's level. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Al breathlessly, his body shaking with nerves.

"Just so you know," said Charlie quietly, speaking more towards Teddy. "It wasn't Al who gave… _it _away. Ron had already mentioned that Hermione lost a boy and a girl in the future: Rose and Hugo."

There were a few soft gasps.

"Who names their son Hugo?" whispered Sirius curiously in a voice that seemed to carry. "Poor bloke."

Lupin stepped on his foot as Sirius received dark looks.

The twins and Bill looked at each other with distress and anger. How could their brother bring up such a thing? And most importantly, how did he _know?_

Mrs. Weasley was silently crying as Tonks patted her arm sympathetically.

"H – how did Uncle Ron find out about that?" asked James, coming out of his shock.

"I didn't tell him," said Teddy solemnly. "Any of you?"

All three Potters shook their head. Lily was crying in the crook of Ginny's neck as Ginny rubbed her back soothingly.

"A traitor must be among us," said Lupin quietly, finally announcing his suspicions.

Many eyes widened in horror as they looked at each other with fear. Who among them was uninvited from the future? Who had been disguising themselves all this time?

Harry and Snape shared a brief look: _Blaise._

It was a tense breakfast that morning. The laughter was controlled and the talking minimum. The empty seat meant for Ron sardonic.

"Harry," asked Hermione quietly, her face still puffy from the tears. "Is Ron the traitor?"

Harry looked at his best friend sadly. "I don't know, Hermione," he whispered.

Harry hated lying to her. He wasn't even a good liar, but he still had to do it; for her safety, for everyone's safety. He just hoped Snape figured out something, and hopefully told him about it. Or he figured out a plan before then. He knew that the whole Order could easily take one Death Eater down, but Harry was wary. He didn't know if Lucius had a dangerous back up plan, and he couldn't risk his future children's safety.

Harry squeezed Hermione's shoulder comfortingly as Dobby came over wearing a pink apron and holding a silver tray. "Thank you, Dobby," sniffed Hermione as Dobby poured her some hot tea.

"Of course, Miss," said Dobby, looking at the sad girl in front of him.

Charlie took Hermione's hand and squeezed. She squeezed back. He almost wished she would have chosen Ron. The price of seeing her depressed and sad… it killed him. He knew she blamed herself. He was tempted to tell her everything was going to be alright, but that would be lying. Everything _wasn't_ alright. Her best friend was acting like a prat and acting like he was the traitor.

Charlie and Bill exchanged looks. They were waiting for Harry to wake up to tell him the news of what they found in the Love Potion when they casted the charm in the Room of Requirement: Revalio Persona. They knew who made it, but it was impossible.

"Harry," asked Bill, wiping his mouth with a napkin before placing it on his plate. "Can we speak with you?"

Harry nodded, getting up. Charlie was about to, but the panicky expression on Hermione's face made him stop.

"You can tell him yourself, Bill," said Charlie, nodding his head at his brother.

Bill smiled sadly and he and Harry walked into the Reading Room.

"Harry," said Bill quietly. "We found out who made the Love Potion,"

"How?" Harry asked surprised.

"We casted a simple charm: Revalio Persona, and on the upper right hand corner it showed a name…" Bill hesitated.

"Who was it?" asked Harry curiously.

"It doesn't make any sense, Harry," said Bill. "I – it was Lucius Malfoy!"

Harry's eyes widened.

"I thought when we saw Lucius' message in the directions it was just a warning, but _he_ made it! And recently too! How could he have gotten in the past without anyone knowing?"

"Y – You can't tell anyone about this," said Harry feverishly.

"What? Harry – "

"Promise me," said Harry, leaning forward. "Promise me, Bill,"

"Do you want me to make the Unbreakable Vow, Harry?" said Bill sarcastically.

"What's that?" asked Harry intrigued.

Bill snorted and didn't answer the question. "Harry, this means Charlie is in the clear! He didn't make it! We should at least tell someone in the Order. Or Hermione. Maybe even Ron!"

"NO!" shouted Harry, but instantly lowered his voice and let out a deep breath. "Keep it to yourselves until I say,"

Harry started walking away from Bill.

"You know who the traitor is," said Bill, raising his voice. "Don't you?"

Harry kept walking.

"You okay, Harry?" asked Ginny worriedly.

Harry squeezed her hand as he sat down. "I'm alright."

Charlie looked confused until Bill whispered the conversation into Charlie's ear. Charlie looked a bit offended, but didn't question Harry at the table.

"I'll just leave some food out for Ron," said Mrs. Weasley shakily, picking various breakfast items from the table onto an empty plate. "And then we can continue to read."

Harry groaned, which made a few people chuckle quietly.

"C'mon," said Sirius, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "It can't be that bad,"

Harry shot his God-father a look.

"This is going to do hell on my nerves again," said Sirius exasperated. "Isn't it?"

Harry slowly nodded.

"Alright," sighed Sirius. "Let's get this over with."

The Potter's sat on the couch, with Lily sitting on Harry's lap and Sirius and Ginny next to him. Al was next to Ginny and James was in between the twins.

Charlie, Hermione, and Bill were sitting on the couch together and Lupin, Teddy, and Tonks on another.

It made Harry uneasy how close Blaise and Malfoy were to the Potter's couch.

Dumbledore had been very silent through all of the morning's events as he recalled all of what Severus told him of Harry's Occlumency lesson. Dumbledore wouldn't dare say his thoughts aloud, but he had to admit to himself that he was wary of what the future Lucius had up his wand.

Mrs. Weasley was sitting with Neville and Luna who were quietly talking to each other.

Dobby had bid everyone a good day, assuring that he would be back to make lunch, and left with a loud _pop_.

"I'll read," said Luna calmly.

Neville passed Luna the book with a slight blush to his cheeks. He had had a crush on Luna as long as he could remember, and he wished that she would look at him like she kept looking at Blaise and Malfoy's couch. He couldn't tell if she was looking at Blaise or Malfoy, but either way… he believed that she liked someone in Slytherin.

"**The Chamber of Secrets,**" read Luna dreamily.

**"All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away," said Ron bitterly at breakfast next day, "and we could've asked her, and now…"**

**It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into a girls' bathroom, the girls' bathroom, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible.**

"If you just had the map," mused Sirius.

The twins were very curious as to how Sirius new of _the_ map. Did Harry tell him?

**But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today. **

**"****_Exams?" _****howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?"**

"With the castle in that kind of state?" asked Tonks bewildered. "Students are only worried that the monster will mark them next, not if they will be receiving passable grades!"

Lupin and Teddy chuckled quietly.

**There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Seamus.**

Neville blushed.

**"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard." **

**Studying hard! It had never occurred to Harry that there would be exams with the castle in this state. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly. **

**"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."**

**Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had he learned so far this year? He couldn't seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam.**

"You're better when it's hands on type of magic," said Lupin, smiling slightly. Harry noticed with alarm that Lupin was looking shabbier than he was yesterday. The full moon must be soon. He would have to make sure that he has the Wolfsbane potion.

"I remember in your third year, Harry," continued Lupin. "Going through my test."

"The year you had better grades than even me in Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione croakily, with a small smile.

Harry smiled back, with a slight flush across his cheeks from the compliments.

**Ron looked as though he'd just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest.**

Usually people would let out a chuckle, but all around the room was stony expressions.

**"Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly. **

**Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.**

**"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted. **

**"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully. **

**"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table. **

**"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.**

"Wood," said the twins, Harry, and Charlie, shaking their head at their Quidditch fanatic.

**When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."**

A few people cheered. The twins let out a shrill whistle.

**There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days. **

**"It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!" he said to Harry. "Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over."**

Everyone couldn't hold back a very small chuckle.

"Oh, go on," said Hermione, smiling slightly. "I won't hex you for laughing,"

A few people shot Hermione a smile.

**Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap. **

**"What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge. **

**Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't think who.**

Ginny paled.

**"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her. **

**Harry suddenly realized who Ginny looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, exactly like Dobby did when he was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden information. **

**"I've got to tell you something," Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry. **

**"What is it?" said Harry. **

**Ginny looked as though she couldn't find the right words. **

**_"What?" _****said Ron. **

**Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Ginny and Ron could hear him. **

**"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?" **

**Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and wan.**

A few swift glares were directed toward the past Head Boy, even though it wasn't really his fault.

"What _were_ you going to tell me, exactly?" asked Harry, looking down at a pale Ginny.

"Stuff," Ginny muttered

**"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty." **

**Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table.**

**"Percy!" said Ron angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!" **

**Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked.**

Percy was starting to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

**"What sort of thing?" he said, coughing. **

**"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say…" **

**"Oh — that — that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once. **

**"How do you know?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised. **

**"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was — well, never mind — the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather —" **

**Harry had never seen Percy look so uncomfortable.**

Though most of the Weasley's were angered at Percy, they couldn't help snort or, for example the twins, grin wickedly.

"You still keep in touch with that girl, Perce?" asked Charlie amused.

Harry thought Percy looked more uncomfortable now than he had back then.

"I don't think that's any of your business," said Percy pompously.

"But who would want to be with someone who is a Ministry loving – " started Fred.

"Family disowning – " continued George.

"Power hungry – " added Fred.

"Moron," finished George.

The twins nodded at each other looking satisfied.

"Boys!" scowled Mrs. Weasley, looking to the brink of tears, making the twins look slightly guilty and frustrated.

Percy looked down at his shoes, his face slightly flushed.

"What's with your family and Percy?" whispered Harry to Ginny quietly as Mrs. Weasley scolded the twins, and people talked amongst themselves.

"When Percy was mentioned before we got port keyed to this room, Mum would start crying and Dad would break whatever he's holding," said Ginny sadly, sending a brief disgusted look towards her brother.

"What happened?"

"Percy and Dad had a row," said Ginny. "It's usually Mum who shouts, but Dad was scary. Percy came home the first week back after term ended and said he got promoted."

"You're kidding?" said Harry.

Harry knew that Percy was very ambitious, but was aware that Percy's first job at the Ministry hadn't gone well. He would have thought Percy would have been demoted for not noticing his boss was being controlled by Lord Voldemort (or in the Ministry's eyes, gone mad).

"Yeah, we were all surprised," said George, coming over with Fred as Mrs. Weasley and Tonks started to bicker. "Because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch, there was an inquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realized Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy, Crouch left him in charge, he wasn't going to complain…"

"So how come they promoted him?" Harry was trying to be sure to keep his voice lowered, since a few people were looking at the huddled group by the couch curiously.

"That's what we wondered," said Hermione, joining into the conversation, and making Charlie and Bill curious as to what they were talking about. "R – Ronald said that Percy came to the Burrow looking pleased with himself and told Mr. Weasley that he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts – Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected everyone to be impressed."

"Only Dad wasn't," interjected Ginny.

"Why not?" said Harry.

Hermione and Ginny shot Harry exaggerated looks.

"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore," said George.

The teens glanced at the Headmaster who was looking relatively calm as he popped another lemon drop into his mouth.

"Dumbledore's name's mud with the Ministry these day, see," said Fred, lowering his voice even further. "They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back."

"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks," said George. "Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession – "

"But what's this got to do with Percy?" asked Harry confused.

"I'm coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family – and Dumbledore."

Harry let out a low whistle.

"Bet Percy loved that."

The twins let out un-amused chuckled.

"He went completely beserk. He said – well, he said loads of terrible rubbish. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been – you know – not had a lot of money, I mean – "

"_What?"_ said Harry in disbelief, cutting off Fred.

Ginny sent another dark look toward Percy, who was starting to notice that she was doing that quite frequently.

"I know," said Ginny in a low voice. "And it gets worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore, was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he – " Ginny shot another dark look towards her brother "knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living in London now."

Harry swore under his breath, highly aware that Lily's was still on his lap taking a nap.

"But Percy _must_ know Voldemort's back," said Harry slowly. "He's not stupid, he must know your Mum and Dad wouldn't risk everyone without proof – "

"Yeah, well, your name got dragged into the row," said Ginny, exchanging looks with the twins. "Percy said the only evidence was your word and the prat didn't think it was good enough."

"Percy takes the _Daily Prophet_ seriously," said Hermione tartly, as if this explained everything.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking around them all.

The other teens were remembering Harry's shouting at Grimmauld Place and looked at him as if he was a bomb about to go off.

"Haven't – haven't you been reading the _Daily Prophet?"_ Hermione asked anxiously.

"Not cover to cover," said Harry, becoming uneasy. "What haven't I been seeing?"

"Er – " Hermione hesitated. "It's quite nasty actually – "

"What are you all whispering about?" asked Mrs. Weasley, narrowing her eyes.

All eyes were now on Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and the twins.

"Nothing important," said the twins, before walking back to their seat.

Harry was becoming frustrated. He wanted to hear more. Who cared about the past when you could learn more from the present?

"I'll tell you later, Harry," said Ginny quietly, knowing that Harry was looking angry about not getting the whole story. Harry looked at her relieved, before turning to Luna who was turning to the right page.

Harry was still slightly bewildered that Percy had done such a thing; choosing the Ministry over his family. He had thought that he and Percy got along just fine, but I guess Harry was mistaken.

**"What were you doing, Percy?" said Ron, grinning. "Go on, tell us, we won't laugh." **

**Percy didn't smile back. **

**"Pass me those rolls, Harry, I'm starving." **

**Harry knew the whole mystery might be solved tomorrow without their help, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to speak to Myrtle if it turned up — and to his delight it did, midmorning, when they were being led to History of Magic by Gilderoy Lockhart. **

**Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.**

**"Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner. "The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be '****_It was Hagrid_****.'**

A few people shot the book disgusted looks towards the celebrity.

**Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary." **

**"I agree, sir," said Harry, making Ron drop his books in surprise.**

Many people in the room gave Harry incredulous looks, but Sirius grinned. "As devious as your Dad, Harry," said Sirius winking at his God-Son.

Severus snorted quietly.

**"Thank you, Harry," said Lockhart graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night…" **

**"That's right," said Ron, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go —" **

**"You know, Weasley, I think I will," said Lockhart. "I really should go and prepare my next class —" **

**And he hurried off.**

"You would think, Albus, that you would choose more suitable teachers to work at Hogwarts," said Mrs. Weasley frowning.

"Isn't the job cursed?" asked Bill, his lips twitching.

Mrs. Weasley looked confused. "Wha – "

Snape cleared his through, having enough with the interruptions.

Mrs. Weasley frowned disapprovingly at Snape and Dumbledore, but nodded at Luna to continue.

**"Prepare his class," Ron sneered after him. "Gone to curl his hair, more like." **

**They let the rest of the Gryffindors draw ahead of them, then darted down a side passage and hurried off toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme. **

**"Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?" **

**It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.**

Harry was rather glad that McGonagall wasn't here in the Meeting Room. He felt guilty for lying to her, but if they hadn't visited Hermione in the Hospital Wing Harry would have never pieced all of the evidence together.

**"We were — we were —" Ron stammered. "We were going to — to go and see —" **

**"Hermione," said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him. **

**"We haven't seen her for ages, Professor," Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron's foot, "and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —" **

**Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice. **

**"Of course," she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye. **

Sirius and Tonks' mouths both popped open in shock.

"She believed you?" asked Charlie impressed, which made Hermione frown. Charlie quickly backtracked. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Harry," said Charlie seriously, glancing at Hermione, his lips slightly twitching to hide a smile. Hermione had difficulty hiding her amusement as several people chuckled.

**"Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been… I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission." **

**Harry and Ron walked away, hardly daring to believe that they'd avoided detention. As they turned the corner, they distinctly heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose.**

**"That," said Ron fervently, "was the best story you've ever come up with." **

**They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that they had Professor McGonagall's permission to visit Hermione. **

**Madam Pomfrey let them in, but reluctantly. **

**"There's just no point talking to a Petrified. person," she said, and they had to admit she had a point when they'd taken their seats next to Hermione. It was plain that Hermione didn't have the faintest inkling that she had visitors, and that they might just as well tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do. **

**"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Ron, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face.**

Hermione stiffened. Did she have to be attacked somehow for Ronald to notice her?

Charlie snaked his arm around Hermione waist and had her lean against him. Hermione sighed sadly, but snuggled deeper into Charlie's side, making many people hide their grins.

Bill mouthed to Charlie something that looked like _whipped_, but Charlie only rolled his eyes, and smiled at the girl at his side.

**"Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one'll ever know…" **

**But Harry wasn't looking at Hermione's face. He was more interested in her right hand. It lay clenched on top of her blankets, and bending closer, he saw that a piece of paper was scrunched inside her fist. **

**Making sure that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere near, he pointed this out to Ron. **

**"Go on and get it out," Ron whispered, shifting his chair so that he blocked Harry from Madam Pomfrey's view. **

**It was no easy task. Hermione's hand was clamped so tightly around the paper that Harry was sure he was going to tear it. While Ron kept watch he tugged and twisted, and at last, after several tense minutes, the paper came free. **

**It was a page torn from a very old library book.**

"You tore a page out of a library book, Hermione?" asked Ginny, faking shock.

Hermione shot her friend a look as many disguised their laughter as a coughing fit.

**Harry smoothed it out eagerly and Ron leaned close to read it, too. **

**_"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."_**

"I was right!" said Charlie, feeling very accomplished.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, little brother," said Bill, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Charlie glared, mockingly offended.

**And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand Harry recognized as Hermione's. ****_Pipes_****.**

Bill quickly clapped his hand to Charlie's mouth before his brother could declare excitedly what he now figured it out.

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle weakly. She realized how quick Charlie was to figuring out certain things, and then realized with a jolt that she needed to learn more about Charlie. She knew she was completely infatuated with this man, no matter how silly that was to think of at her age, but she wanted to get to know him better. _Maybe tonight_, she mused.

**It was as though somebody had just flicked a light on in his brain.**

**"Ron," he breathed. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a ****_basilisk _****— a giant serpent! ****_That's _****why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue…"**

**Harry looked up at the beds around him. **

**"The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one's died — because no one looked it straight in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got Petrified. Justin… Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die again… and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realized the monster was a basilisk. I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror — and —" **

**Rom's jaw had dropped. **

**"And Mrs. Norris?" he whispered eagerly. **

**Harry thought hard, picturing the scene on the night of Halloween. **

**"The water…" he said slowly. "The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection…"**

Several mouth popped open after Luna had plowed on, reading rapidly of Harry's quick understanding.

"That's extreme luck," said Tonks faintly.

"More then you'll ever get, Potter," said Malfoy, trying to come off as a sneer, which made several people glare at the Slytherin, but when Harry looked closer he could see faint amusement.

It really made Harry wonder if he had been put in Slytherin or if these prejudices between blood lines and houses weren't there if Malfoy and him would have been friends. It amazed Harry of such a thing happening, but he could only hope that when Lucius' plan went into action that Malfoy had some sense from Lucius' control to show a bit of compassion toward Harry's well being. It was an extremely small chance, but he could hope. No matter how false hopes that may be.

Malfoy was becoming unnerved by Potter's s stare. Could Potter really see through him that easily?

**He scanned the page in his hand eagerly. The more he looked at it, the more it made sense. **

**"****_… The crowing of the rooster… is fatal to it"! _****he read aloud. "Hagrid's roosters were killed! The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened!**

Ginny was starting to shake lightly, making Harry worried. He squeezed Ginny's side assuring, but she gave him a fake smile.

Ginny shivered remembering when she woke up to what she thought was red paint, and realize with fear, and horror that it was blood. She had had no clue if it was human or animal blood. It scared her, more than she could admit to not remember what happened the night before. She had immediately, like the love sick little girl she had been, wrote to Riddle in the diary and he assured her that she would remember soon, and everything would be alright. How pathetic and senseless she had been!

She snapped out of her dismal thoughts as Harry leaned toward her and kissed her cheek before smiling that smile she loved with all her heart since she heard the story of the boy-who-lived.

Ginny sighed sadly before resting her head on Harry's shoulder.

Sirius looked at them with a small smile, which turned into a full-blown grin when he thought of how James would be proud that Harry was in love with a fiery and witty red head.

**_Spiders flee before it.! _****It all fits!" **

**"But how's the basilisk been getting around the place?" said Ron. "A giant snake… Someone would've seen…" **

**Harry, however, pointed at the word Hermione had scribbled at the foot of the page. **

**"Pipes," he said. "Pipes… Ron, it's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls…" **

**Ron suddenly grabbed Harry's arm. **

**"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" he said hoarsely. "What if it's a bathroom? What if it's in —" **

**_"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," _****said Harry.**

**They sat there, excitement coursing through them, hardly able to believe it. **

**"This means," said Harry, "I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin's one, too. That's how he's been controlling the basilisk."**

**"What're we going to do?" said Ron, whose eyes were flashing. "Should we go straight to McGonagall?" **

**"Let's go to the staff room," said Harry, jumping up. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."**

Snape was rather surprised to hear this piece of information. He had thought that Potter had immediately thought of slaying the beast and saving the girl without any help, but had, in fact, planned to tell a professor.

**They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staff room. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs. Harry and Ron paced around it, too excited to sit down. **

**But the bell to signal break never came. **

**Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified. **

**"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please." **

**Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron. "Not another attack? Not now?" **

**"What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?" **

**"No," said Harry, glancing around. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to his left, full of the teachers' cloaks. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."**

James suddenly laughed. "And what are you going to do? Suddenly come out of the wardrobe and say you found the Chamber of Secrets?"

A few people chuckled, and Harry cracked a grin.

**They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived. **

**"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself." **

**Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?" **

**"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. ****_'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' _****"**

"Who?" said Sirius intrigued and worried.

Ginny was starting to shiver uncontrollably, and Harry was constantly glancing at her worriedly.

**Professor Flitwick burst into tears. **

**"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?" **

**"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.**

"WHAT?!" yelled Charlie, Bill, Sirius, and Tonks.

"My savior over here," said Ginny, smiling weakly as she nodded her head toward her future husband.

"How did we not know about this?" asked Charlie and Bill at the same time with anger.

"It really wasn't that im – "

"Don't you dare say it wasn't important," said Bill coldly, making Ginny roll her eyes at her brother's worry and anger about something that happened three years ago.

"Its fine," stressed Ginny, though deep down she truly was still scared of Tom Riddle, and the coldness that had succumbed her in the Chamber of Secrets. She ignored Harry who she knew was studying her and could see right through her lies.

Charlie and Bill looked skeptically at her, but let it go for now.

**Harry felt Ron slide silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him. **

**"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…" **

**The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming. **

**"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"**

**He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward. **

**"Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."**

"Bloody brilliant," said Sirius, looking disgusted that he was impressed with the greasy git.

Snape looked at Black in surprise.

Dumbledore was quietly chuckling to himself.

**Lockhart blanched. **

**"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" **

**"I — well, I —"sputtered Lockhart. **

**"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick. **

**"D-did I? I don't recall —" **

**"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?" **

**Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues. **

**"I — I really never — you may have misunderstood - "**

**"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."**

No one could hold back their laughter to the teacher's antics and hatred toward the self-infatuated celebrity.

"Brilliant," chimed the twins as they chortled along with the rest of the room.

**Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble. **

**"V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready."**

A few people snorted.

**And he left the room. **

**"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got ****_him _****out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories." **

**The teachers rose and left, one by one. **

**It was probably the worst day of Harry's entire life.**

"Aww," cooed Tonks and Sirius jokingly, making Harry and Ginny blush a deep red that had everyone laughing.

**He, Ron, Fred, and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other. Percy wasn't there. He had gone to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory. **

**No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer. **

**"She knew something, Harry," said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was —" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."**

"I forgot about that," said Charlie. "Why was Ginny taken when she is a pure-blood? I thought it was only Muggle-borns."

"I believe that Tom Riddle was only worried about power instead of blood status of the girl he presumed to murder," answered Lupin.

There were a few solemn nods in agreement.

**Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst he had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything. **

**"Harry" said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not — you know —" **

**Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't see how Ginny could still be alive. **

**"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there." **

**Because Harry couldn't think of anything else to do, and because he wanted to be doing something, he agreed. The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole. **

**Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps. **

**Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.**

**"Oh — Mr. Potter — Mr. Weasley —" he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment —if you would be quick —" **

**"Professor, we got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."**

**"Er — well — it's not terribly —" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean — well — all right —" **

**He opened the door and they entered. **

**His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.**

"He's running away?" said Sirius with contempt. "Bloody coward,"

**"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry. **

**"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call — unavoidable — got to go —" **

**"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily. **

**"Well, as to that — most unfortunate —" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I —" **

**"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!" **

**"Well — I must say — when I took the job —" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description — didn't expect —" **

**"You mean you're ****_running away_****?" said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books —" **

**"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately. **

**"You wrote them!" Harry shouted. **

**"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think ****_I'd _****done all those things.**

Several mouths opened in shock that were not aware of this.

"First time that I ever starting questioning the information in books," said Hermione matter-a-fact. She had been deflated to hear that the attractive Professor Lockhart's heroic events had all been stolen victories from other witches and wizards.

**No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on —" **

**"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously. **

**"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms.**

More people's eyes widened even bigger if that was possible.

"Explains a lot," said Sirius faintly, thinking back to his Hogwarts days.

**No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog." **

**He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them. **

**"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left." **

**He pulled out his wand and turned to them. **

**"Awfully sorry, boys, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book —" **

**Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, "****_Expelliarmus!_****"**

Harry shivered as he remembered last summer of how that spell saved his life. He forced himself to not think of Voldemort being reborn, or the graveyards events, or Cedric… Harry snapped out of his dreary thoughts and focused on Luna's voice.

**Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window. **

**"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him. **

**"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do." **

**"You're in luck," said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. "We think ****_we _****know where it is. ****_And _****what's inside it. Let's go." **

**They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.**

"Surprised that with your luck you didn't get caught," said Teddy amused. He would've been worried like everyone else at the moment, but he already knew the gist of what happened down in the Chamber.

Harry was surprised. He hadn't even thought of getting caught by having a Professor at wand point.

**They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking. **

**Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet. **

**"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?" **

**"To ask you how you died," said Harry. **

**Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.**

"Doesn't she have a crush on you, Harry?" asked Hermione amused.

"Shut up," said Harry embarrassed making several chuckle. Harry didn't want to be reminded of being in the Prefect's bathroom to figure out the egg under the water for the clue and having to worry about Moaning Myrtle coming too close.

**"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a ****_boy_**** speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then – " Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died."**

**"How?" said Harry. **

**"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses." **

**"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry. **

**"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet. **

**Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face**

"Coward," murmured several people.

**It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake. **

**"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it. **

**"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue." **

**"But —" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real. **

**"Open up," he said. **

**He looked at Ron, who shook his head. **

**"English," he said. **

**Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving.**

**"Open up," he said. **

**Except that the words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him, and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.**

"So," said Charlie slowly, trying to make sense of it all. "If Harry hadn't found the Chamber of Secrets and wasn't able to speak Parseltongue… Ginny would be dead?"

The impact of those words were met with a deafening silence.

Harry didn't meet anyone's eye. He didn't see his way of speaking with snakes exactly worth praise. He knew that he inherited Voldemort's power of speaking with snakes because his power was transferred to him as a baby… when Voldemort couldn't kill him because of his Mum's protection.

**Harry heard Ron gasp and looked up again. He had made up his mind what he was going to do. **

**"I'm going down there," he said. **

**He couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Ginny might be alive. **

**"Me too," said Ron. **

**There was a pause. **

**"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just —" **

**He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him. **

**"You can go first," Ron snarled. **

**White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening. **

**"Boys," he said, his voice feeble. "Boys, what good will it do?" **

**Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe. **

**"I really don't think —" he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.**

"You could have waited to see if Lockhart was okay before going down yourself," said Sirius anxiously, putting his arms around Harry's shoulders tightly.

Harry groaned silently in his head. Until this book was done, Sirius was going to be panicky. But then, Harry realized, he was going to feel the pain of facing the Basilisks' poison over again. This made Harry pale.

**It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. Behind him he could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the curves. **

**And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost. Harry stood aside as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe, too. **

**"We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel. **

**"Under the lake, probably," said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls. **

**All three of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead. **

**"****_Lumos!_****" Harry muttered to his wand and it lit again. "C'mon," he said to Ron and Lockhart, and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor. **

**The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wand light. **

**"Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away…" **

**But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud ****_crunch _****as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones. Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her, Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel. **

**"Harry — there's something up there —" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder. **

**They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving. **

**"Maybe it's asleep," he breathed, glancing back at the other two. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt.**

Harry could feel unexpected adrenaline flowing through him and he quickly shook out his hands as they started shaking.

**Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high. **

**The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least. **

**"Blimey," said Ron weakly. **

**There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way. **

**"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart. **

**Lockhart got to his feet — then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground. **

**Harry jumped forward, but too late — Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face.**

Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but let out a squeak, worried for her youngest son. She may be disappointed in him for his atrocious behavior, but she was his son no matter what.

**"The adventure ends here, boys!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two ****_tragically _****lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body — say good-bye to your memories!" **

**He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled****_, "Obliviate!_****" **

**The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock. **

**"Ron," he shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!"**

Mrs. Weasley let out another frightened squeak. The rest of the Weasley's were trying very hard not to care, for they knew that it wasn't Ron that truly saved Ginny, and Ron was perfectly safe in his bedroom brooding.

**"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay — this git's not, though — he got blasted by the wand —" **

**There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins. **

**"What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through — it'll take ages…" **

**Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn't seem a good moment to try — what if the whole tunnel caved in? **

**There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours… Harry knew there was only one thing to do. **

**"Wait there," he called to Ron. "Wait with Lockhart. I'll go on… If I'm not back in an hour…" **

Sirius' grip around Harry tightened and Lily had just woken up, listening with wide eyes.

Teddy was tempted to make Lily go to her room, but he did not feel like handling a tantrum from the fiery little girl. He kept telling himself that she was mature for age, despite her small size.

"Bloody Gryffindors," muttered Malfoy under his breath with respect, just out of hearing of his father who had coughed.

**There was a very pregnant pause, "I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you can — can get back through. And, Harry —" **

**"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice. **

**And he set off alone past the giant snake skin. **

**Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds. **

**Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive. **

**He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.**

**_"Open," _****said Harry, in a low, faint hiss. **

**The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.**

"That's the end of the chapter," said Luna dreamily. "Who would – "

"KEEP READING!" everyone all but shouted. Most normal witches and wizards would jump, but Luna only shrugged and put her wand behind her other ear.

"**The Heir of Slytherin,**" read Luna.

* * *

Thanks for reading!(:

Please don't yell at me because of what I did in the beginning with Ron. For the fans of Ron out there just know that these books are supposed to change the future and he's in Gryffindor no matter how much of a prat I made him in the FF(:  
Also, if you think about it, Ron is acting this way because he's just being arrogant that one of his brothers (once again) has something he wants and Lucius is being a manipulator. Ron can easily be manipulated by people (just think of their 4th year!). Once again though - I have nothing against Ron.(:

ALSO, I know that when a writer writes fan fiction about the Wizarding World it's so easy to critique. But do you realize how ONE comment can ruin a writer's day? When someone says they've lost all interest in the story because of one thing I tweaked or such, do you realize how guilty it makes me?  
YES, I make grammar mistakes. I try not to, but it happens. And I apologize.  
Constructive critisicm? Sure! Outright telling me how much you hate this FF? It basically ruins my day.  
But, I hope those readers that DO like this keep reading and I'm sorry for the long A/N.


	31. Chapter 31: The Heir of Slytherin

**"The Heir of Slytherin**," read Luna dreamily.

**He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ginny? **

**He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir.**

Harry swore that the tension could be cut by a knife. Everyone waited on bated breath to Harry and Ginny's fate, seemingly forgetting that this was almost three years ago and that Ginny was perfectly fine along with Harry. Well, as fine as a teenage boy with a scar could be.

**Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. **

**Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair. **

**"Ginny!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Ginny — don't be dead — please don't be dead —" He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be…**

Mrs. Weasley was silently crying and Neville had taken the job of patting her arm awkwardly in reassurance.

Harry had an arm tightly around Ginny's waist. If only he knew at that age how important Ginny would be to him in the future. Harry noticed belatedly that his future children were listening to the book with wide eyes and frozen expressions. If his kids were as stubborn as him and Ginny combined he doubted that he could send them to their room.

**"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side. **

**"She won't wake," said a soft voice. **

**Harry jumped and spun around on his knees. **

**A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him. **

**"Tom — Tom Riddle?"**

Now even Dumbledore was trying not to seem interested, but couldn't help but eye the book piercingly.

Snape was also curious as to Potter's reaction and if he truly fought off the Basilisk like the rumors from the teachers proclaimed.

Harry clenched his jaw. Images spiraling in his head from the graveyard as Tom Riddle – Lord Voldemort – rose again. Cedric being carelessly killed. Voldemort laughing manically as Harry was tortured…

Harry could feel himself paling, and dreaded when the time came to read that part.

**Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face. **

**"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not — she's not —?"**

**"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just." **

**Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen. **

**"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly. **

**"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." **

**He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there — but there were more pressing matters to deal with. **

**"You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk… I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment… Please, help me."**

Harry chuckled darkly at his past pathetic self. If only he had known. Ginny glanced at Harry as if he had grown an extra head.

**Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again. **

**But his wand had gone.**

Many eyes widened, along with Snape. Snape was starting to let his skepticism show. How did an twelve-year-old without a wand defeat a giant snake?

**"Did you see —?" **

**He looked up. Riddle was still watching him — twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers. **

**"Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it. **

**A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly. **

**"Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes —" **

**"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly. **

**Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer. **

**"What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it —" **

**Riddle's smile broadened. **

**"You won't be needing it," he said.**

Sirius grip around Harry tightened. Riddle sounded familiar, but why?

**Harry stared at him.**

**"What d'you mean, I won't be – ?"**

**"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you." **

**"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later —" **

**"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand. **

**Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here…**

"You don't say, Harry," said Bill sarcastically. A few people shot Bill surprised looks.

Harry felt slightly guilty knowing that Bill was most likely letting out his frustration that Harry was keeping the Love Potion's maker a secret, and that Bill wasn't told about Ginny's experience with Tom Riddle beforehand.

**"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly. **

**"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger." **

**"What are you talking about?" said Harry. **

**"The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with scondhand robes and books, how —" Riddle's eyes glinted "— how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her…"**

Ginny blushed rapidly. She didn't know that Tom Riddle had divulged a few of her entries to Harry.

**All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.**

"That's a bit strange, eh?" said James, nervously putting a hand through his hair as he chuckled meekly.

"Power is all Voldemort craves," said Dumbledore quietly.

"I wasn't even powerful, then!" exploded Harry, getting up as some of his pent up frustration caught up with him. "And don't say it was love," said Harry suddenly.

"Harry – " said Sirius quietly.

"NO!" shouted Harry, as he tried to slow his breathing.

He looked over Dumbledore's head determinedly not wanting the snake inside to emerge.

How did _love_ conquer all others?

"But it is love, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is the one essential emotion that Voldemort doesn't and will never have."

"Yeah?" said Harry, stopping his pacing to look at Dumbledore's chin. "And how is this supposed to help me - ?"

Harry caught himself before he could finish. He wasn't even sure how to end that. There were so many things to end it with. How was love supposed to protect him from being murdered? How was it going to help him defeat Voldemort? He knew it would have to be him in the end. And, he would to have admit to himself, he would be rather disappointed if it wasn't him. Though, if someone had managed to defeat Voldemort it wasn't likely he would be disappointed for long.

"Help you do what, Harry?" asked Hermione softly.

Harry gave her a pained look and didn't say anything. He hadn't told her or Ron the urge he had to conquer the Dark Lord or his worrying that he may not come out of this battle alive. Though, he wasn't sure if he would tell Ron anything anymore.

"In due time, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly.

Anger consumed Harry. Was that the only answer he would ever receive? He stiffened as he noticed Blaise's curious expression, and that Draco was looking wide-eyed at Harry's outburst.

Teddy, he noticed, was looking angry, but not at him, at Dumbledore. Surprise took him as he saw the glare directed toward the Headmaster.

He noticed someone tugging at his shirt and looked down to see Lily, causing most of his anger to subside. She had tears sparkling in her eyes and Harry was feeling guilty for losing his temper.

"Sorry," croaked Harry, bending down to pick her up and put her on his hip. "I – I'm going to grab a snack," lied Harry, and quickly strode towards the kitchen.

The others in the Reading Room casted anxious looks at Harry's departing back.

"Should we keep reading?" asked Tonks, not her usual joyous self. Her hair was a sleek black.

Teddy hesitated. He wasn't quite sure when Harry gets hurt, but nodded grudgingly. He thought that Dumbledore was playing a cruel game; waiting to tell Harry about the prophecy directly after Sirius was killed had been a manipulative desicion.

**"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom… I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in… It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…"**

Ginny closed her eyes, wishing Harry was here. James came over and took Harry's spot. He grabbed his mother's hand, and she glanced at him surprised, but gratefully all the same.

**Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck. **

**"If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted… I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her…"**

"What?" said many people in the room horrified, the majority of it being the Weasley's. Even Ginny looked shocked. Was some of Riddle's soul still deep down inside of her?

"That is no longer the case," assured Dumbledore calmly.

Ginny let out a sigh of relief.

**"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry. **

**"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets.**

Mouths popped open in shock, but Luna seemed to know that this was the time she should keep reading.

**She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."**

"My sister opened the Chamber of Secrets and attempted murder?" said Percy disgusted at whom he was related to. He would hope this wouldn't reach the Ministry's ears.

Ginny's ears went scarlet. "It's a good thing, then, that I don't consider you a brother," said Ginny coldly.

Percy's mouth opened in surprise, but Ginny only looked away.

Percy wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to feel about that.

**"No," Harry whispered. **

**"Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became… Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, "'I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front.**

Ginny was beginning to whimper, and she wished she didn't look pathetic.

**Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me… There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad… I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!'"**

Ginny jumped when she heard a few growls, and was surprised to see that the twins, Charlie, and Bill were giving the book murderous glares.

**Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms. **

**"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet…"**

Ginny bit her lip, her guilt that she had poured everything out to the diary more prominent.

**"And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady. **

**"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust —"**

"HAGRID IS NOT AN OAF!" shouted, to everyone's surprise, Hermione. Her face was flushed and Charlie had to restrain her from possibly tearing the book and burning it.

"Hear, hear," said the twins solemnly.

Dumbledore had to hide a smile. He knew that Hagrid would be pleased at the student's loyalty.

**"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but —" **

**Riddle laughed his high laugh again. **

**"It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student… on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls… but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance… as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power! **

**"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent.**

A few surprised expressions were issued at the Headmaster, curiously wondering if Dumbledore knew this side of his previous student.

**He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed… Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did…" **

**"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted. **

**"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."**

"That is very dark magic," said Lupin quietly.

"I've heard worse," said Teddy quietly to himself thinking of the eight horcruxes Voldemort had created, not aware that Lupin overheard.

**"Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again —" **

**"Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — you."**

"Oh, bloody hell," muttered Sirius, going pale.

**Harry stared at him. **

**"Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back.**

"Thievery is now added to the list," muttered Percy, but was ignored by everyone.

**But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery — particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue… **

**"So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her… She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last… I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter." **

**"Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched.**

"How is Harry not terrified?" cried out Mrs. Weasley. "Any normal twelve-year-old would be unable to speak!"

There were nods in agreement, and Sirius was hoping Harry would come back into the room soon.

**"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent — managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" **

**There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now. **

**"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time…" **

**"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter…"**

**He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words: **

**_TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE_**

**Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves: **

**_I AM LORD VOLDEMORT_**

"Oh, bloody hell," repeated Sirius horrified.

Bill's irritation at Harry from before vanished completely at hearing this. Harry had encountered You-Know-Who his first _and_ second year? And lived to tell the tale?

Many mouths were open in horror.

**"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever?**

"He's not pureblood?" said Draco in surprise.

Draco flinched at the look he was receiving from Blaise.

"Strange," muttered Charlie, assuming that You-Know-Who would have pure blood.

**I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"**

Mumbled protest could be heard around the room.

**Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others… At last he forced himself to speak. **

**"You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred. **

**"Not what?" snapped Riddle. **

**"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast.**

"Shut up, Harry," murmured Hermione, her hand holding Charlie's tightly.

**"Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days —" **

**The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.**

Everyone in the room looked petrified.

Snape couldn't help but be impressed with Potter's cool head against the Dark Lord. Strange, how Potter was more hot headed towards him than at the Dark Lord himself.

**"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed. **

**"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true. **

**Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. **

**Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar. **

**A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.**

"Is that a phoenix?" asked Tonks in awe.

Dumbledore nodded.

"It's rare that one can hear the song from a phoenix," murmured Lupin, curious as to why the majestic bird was there in the Chamber.

**A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye. **

**The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle. **

**"That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it. **

**"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.**

**"And that —" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —" **

**So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.**

Many looked confused.

"Isn't the hat only used for sorting?" asked Al, overly curious.

**Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once. **

A few people shivered.

**"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?" **

**Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting. **

**"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice — in your past, in my future — we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."**

"Oh, no," groaned Hermione.

"What?" whispered Charlie.

"Harry's going to be the noble prat he is," said Hermione sadly, admiration in her eyes that Charlie tried very hard to ignore.

**Harry was thinking fast, weighing his chances. Riddle had the wand. He, Harry, had Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, neither of which would be much good in a duel. It looked bad, all right… but the longer Riddle stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Ginny… and in the meantime, Harry noticed suddenly, Riddle's outline was becoming clearer, more solid… If it had to be a fight between him and Riddle, better sooner than later. **

**"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul —"**

There was a chorus of groans, and people eyeing the book in horror.

"That's James and Lily," muttered Sirius to himself, now concerned to the brink of his God-son's safety against the younger Voldemort.

**Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now… there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike… but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."**

The uneasiness in the Room of Requirement seemed to become more intense.

**Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again. **

**"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him…" **

**He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed — but Harry understood what he was saying… **

**"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." **

**Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder. **

**Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. **

**And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.**

"Harry has to defeat a Basilisk?" asked Sirius horrified. "HARRY JAMES POTTER, COME HERE,"

Harry had been sitting at the table with Lily as she ate the sandwich he made for her when he heard Sirius' panicky voice. Harry scowled at a wall. He had been enjoying his time away from the reading with Lily telling him stories of the tricks she played on her brothers and the new brand new broomstick that came out last month.

Besides, he already knew of Riddle's speech. He also knew that he hadn't fought the Basilisk yet, because he didn't feel the numbing poison going through him. But he had felt the sudden adrenaline pumping through his veins, and the numbing in his legs, making him lose track of Lily's stories a few times.

Harry sighed when he heard Sirius calling for him again.

"I assume I can't make you go to your room?" asked Harry resigned.

Lily let out a full blown grin before answering. "Nope!"

Harry chuckled lightly, before picking her up and walking to the reading room.

James gave his mother another reassuring smile before getting up to sit by the twins as Harry walked into the room with Lily.

Harry ignored all the staring that was directed towards him before sitting next to Ginny.

"Sorry I left," muttered Harry, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Its fine," assured Ginny, holding Harry's hand.

"Lily," said Harry as calmly as he could. "I – I think you should sit on your mother's lap until the chapter is done,"

Lily pouted, but because of the serious expression on his face obliged. Ginny noticed with alarm that Harry's grip was tightening on her hand.

**Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes' wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents? **

**Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder — he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice: **

**"Kill him."**

Sirius was gripping Harry's shoulder almost painfully.

**The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way — Voldemort was laughing. **

**Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming.**

Harry groaned lightly under his breath as he felt like he had been punched in the face. Blood trickled down Harry's mouth to his horror. Why were actual injuries showing? Blood had never shown up before… Harry quickly wiped it away without anyone noticing.

**There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall.**

Harry felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him and he gripped his stomach with the arm that wasn't holding Ginny's hand.

It seemed that everyone was so caught up with the story, that they had forgotten Harry could feel the pain as it was being read.

**Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars. **

**He couldn't help it — he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on. **

**The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkingly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake.**

**Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned — Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both was great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony.**

"That'll help if it's blind," said Charlie weakly.

**"NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!"**

"He's mad," muttered several people, looking anxious and on the edge of their seats.

**The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. **

**"Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone — anyone…" **

**The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face. **

**The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance — he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again. **

**_Help me — help me — _****Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. ****_Please help me_****. **

**There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly. **

**Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head,**

Dumbledore winced lightly.

**almost knocking him out. **

Harry felt as if he had a horrible migraine, and it took a lot of his strength to stay conscious.

**Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. **

**A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.**

"A sword?" said many people bewildered.

**"KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF — SMELL HIM."**

**Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous — **

**It lunged blindly — Harry dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands —**

**The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true — Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth —**

Gasps echoed around the room.

"You would have died if the Nargles had been there," said Luna seriously.

"Thanks Luna," said Harry dryly, but instantly paled. "Oh, no," he muttered and proceeded to sit on the floor, leaning against the couch.

"Harry?" said Ginny and Sirius.

"Don't touch me," said Harry weakly.

Sirius and Ginny exchanged bewildered looks.

**But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow.**

Harry gasped quietly as the pain went through his body again. He knew the poison was surely making his way through his system.

Harry put his hand where he knew the hole was. Blood was quickly making its way down Harry's arm and he quickly tried to cover it.

**One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. **

**Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound.**

Harry clenched his eyes shut as the pain increased, and his lethargic state started to make his head pound.

"Harry, your arm!" said Ginny horrified, as she saw blood dripping down Harry's arm.

Gasps and panic took over many faces.

Dumbledore was also looking worried, making the panic swell.

"Keep reading, Luna," grounded out Harry, his jaw clenched tightly.

Ginny knew that Harry said not to touch him, but she couldn't stop herself from putting her lithe fingers through his sweaty hair.

Harry sighed, and didn't move. The pain was increasing, and he was getting annoyed with all the disruptions.

"Can someone please keep reading?" said Harry weakly.

"Oh, sorry," said Luna.

**Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color.**

As the words were being said, Harry felt all of it. The Room of Requirement was becoming unfocused. The blood was darkening his Muggle clothes, and making a puddle on the floor.

"Harry – " said many alarmed voices.

"Just keep reading," said Harry thickly, as he slid down the floor, just avoiding the puddle of blood, as he laid there quite still, except for the face that his chest was moving.

Sirius was looking at all the blood, and Harry's pale face with horror.

"Keep reading," repeated Harry, his lips barely moving.

**A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him. **

**"Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes…" **

**He felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him. **

**He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him. **

**"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."**

Harry couldn't help but chuckle, making many looked at him confused and bewildered that he would find anything amusing at a time like this.

Only Severus and Dumbledore understood Harry's amusement.

"Phoenix tears," muttered Snape, surprised.

James, Al, Lily, and Teddy had all been trying with difficulty to hide their worrying for their father.

**Harry blinked. Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers. **

**"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."**

Scowls were sent toward the book.

**Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning.**

Harry winced as his head pounded, drowning out most of the whispering and muttering in the room.

**"So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry… She bought you twelve years of borrowed time… but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…"**

Harry absentmindedly knew he was dying and part of him wished he wouldn't be saved and could be with his parents wherever they may be. _But,_ he thought with a twinge of guilt. _What about Lily, James, Al, and his unborn child? What about Ginny, Sirius, and Hermione?_

**If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad.**

"He's dying?" said Sirius, feeling even more panicked, as he noticed that Harry's breathing was becoming far more apart than normal.

"We know he survives, Sirius," said Lupin in his attempt to calm down his friend.

**Even the pain was leaving him… **

**But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus.**

Harry opened his eyes, and gave a weak smile to the worried expressions that were toward him.

Harry cleared his throat, his head still slightly pounding. "I'm fine," he said to assure them all.

It didn't have the imediate calming affect he hoped for.

**Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound — except that there was no wound. **

**"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, get away —"**

"Phoenix tears," said Charlie amazed, as he recalled of his lessons about them at Hogwarts.

**Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.**

**"Phoenix tears…" said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course… healing powers… I forgot…"**

**He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…" **

**He raised the wand… **

**Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap — the diary. **

**For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.**

Confused looks were exchanged in the room at Harry's rash decision.

Harry knew he could sit up, but he preferred it on the floor. The pounding in his head was slightly receding.

**There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then — **

**He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it. **

"How?" asked several people at once.

"I'm sure it will be explained," said Dumbledore smoothly.

**Shaking all over,**

Harry had to clench his fists and tighten his whole body to stop from doing so.

**Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth. **

**Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring.**

A few of the Weasley's were looking guilty. They had completely forgotten about their dying sister.

**As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face. **

**"Harry — oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy — it was me, Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —"**

**" It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —" **

**"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. **

"Always the gentleman," commented Ginny.

Harry's lips twitched as Ginny knew it would.

**"I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"**

**Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss. **

**After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears. **

**"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"**

Many in the room had also forgotten about Ron as they cast swift glances towards the door where they knew the red-head was.

**He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall. **

**"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How — what — where did that bird come from?"**

Harry still didn't know the answer to that.

**Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny. **

**"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself. **

**"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand. **

"Really," said Ginny scathingly. "No, 'are you okay's'"?

Harry could only shrug from where he was on the floor.

**"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever. **

**"But —" **

**"Later," Harry said shortly. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?" **

**"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."**

**Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself. **

**"His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself." **

**Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all. **

**"Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?" **

**"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry.**

A few people snorted quietly.

**Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe. **

**"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron. **

**Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him. **

**"He looks like he wants you to grab hold…" said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there —" **

**"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart —" **

**"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart. **

**"You hold Ginny's other hand —" **

**Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers.**

**An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Harry could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over — all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place. **

**Myrtle goggled at them. **

**"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry. **

**"There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses. **

**"Oh, well… I'd just been thinking… if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver.**

Harry blushed as many laughed, and it was much harder than normal. Harry believed the stress from the chapter had made everyone built up and tense.

**"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!" **

**But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face. **

**"Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed. **

**Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.**

**Harry knocked and pushed the door open.**

"That's the end of the chapter," said Luna dreamily.

"I would have paid to see everyone's face," said the twins.

Harry slowly got up, holding his slightly pounding head, and noticed with a bemused expression all the blood on the floor, on his skin, and on his clothes.

Harry willed the room to clean the mess, and the blood vanished. It was strange how the room would only sometimes give the wisher what they wanted.

"I'm going to wash up," said Harry glancing at his hands, trying to stay calm as he noticed all the attention was on him again.

"I'll help," said Ginny, jumping up.

"Er – " said Harry, slightly blushing.

"Oh," said Ginny, realizing belatedly that he meant take a shower.

The twins were grinning at Harry and Ginny's discomfort.

"You're a bit too young for that," said Fred, winking.

"You'll have to wait a few more years," said George, eyeing their future children.

Harry and Ginny's blush grew making the twins grin wickedly.

Harry quickly walked out of the room, which was followed by muttering and whispering as many discussed what they just read.

"Sirius?" asked Lupin quietly. "You alright?"

A few people glanced at Sirius and were surprised that he was still looking at the ground where all the blood had been.

"Of course I'm not alright," said Sirius quietly. "How can anyone be so calm that they were dying? Be so calm that they were mere moments from death?"

A few people exchanged uneasy looks.

"Harry told me what happened in the maze and graveyard," said Sirius, still looking at the floor. "I refuse to read him being tortured. There must be something you can do Dumbledore,"

Dumbledore was looking grave. "I am afraid – "

"I will not hear Harry scream," said Sirius, his whole body shaking. "I will not hear him being tortured."

Ginny knew about now when Sirius was going to start yelling so she muttered something about Harry being almost done and quickly left the room.

"Harry?" said Ginny quietly, knocking on the door.

"Come in," came his muffled reply.

She opened the door and had the urge to cover her eyes since he was without a shirt. Not that this was a bad thing, but… Ginny shook her head, her cheeks slightly red.

"You alright?" she asked, sitting on the counter.

"I'm fine," said Harry, covering the bite mark with a bandage. Though the book had stated it had healed, the wound looked swollen, and he would surely have a scar.

She watched him patch himself up, and she had that feeling again that he had lots of practice at Muggle bandaging.

"Maybe Lupin could heal that for you?" questioned Ginny.

Harry shook his head and gave her a small smile.

"You should have seen Sirius' face," said Ginny quietly after a few moments of silence.

She saw Harry looked pained, and then his face became emotionless. "Most aren't used to that much blood," said Harry quietly.

Ginny held back her reply. She knew that wasn't why Sirius looked petrified. It was because Sirius cared so much for Harry. He probably didn't realize.

"You missed a spot," commented Ginny, moving down the counter until she was directly in front of Harry. She grabbed the nearest towel and wiped the blood that was near his lips – Harry's penetrating gaze on her the whole time.

"There," Ginny said satisfied, before shyly kissing him quick on the lips.

"You should come back to the Reading Room, soon," said Ginny, getting down from the counter. "Everyone's worried."

Harry just nodded absentmindedly; grabbing a clean shirt from the counter and followed Ginny back to the Reading Room.

"Dumbledore – " started Sirius again, but instantly stopped, seeing his God-son.

Sirius quickly got up and gave Harry a tight hug before looking him in the eye. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," sighed Harry.

"Really," added Harry, looking at everyone in the room.

Most only gave him apprehensive looks.

"I'll read next," said Tonks, her hair going back to her usual bright pink.

Luna passed the book to Tonks as Ginny, Harry, and Sirius sat down on the couch. Lily automatically crawled onto Harry's lap.

He smiled sadly at her, feeling slightly guilty that he had thought of wanting to die. But he knew that thought would never leave him.

"**Dobby's Reward**," read Tonks.

* * *

Thanks for reading(:  
Also, thank you so much for your comments/reviews in the last chapter. You guys are amazing in every which way and I really appreciate it. Again, thank you(:


	32. Chapter 32: Dobby's Reward

"**Dobby's Reward**," read Tonks.

**For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then there was a scream. **

**"Ginny!" **

**It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.**

"So you knew and didn't tell us?" said Bill, sending his mother an accusing look. Charlie clearly agreed and was frowning disapprovingly at his mother.

"You were with your dragons," said Mrs. Weasley exasperated, looking at Charlie. "And you were in Egypt!" she explained looking at Bill.

Bill and Charlie were still frowning, but didn't argue.

**Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace. **

**"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" **

**"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly. **

**Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.**

"Do you still have the sword and diary, Harry?" asked Neville curiously.

Harry shook his head. "The sword is in Dumbledore's office, and the diary I gave back to Lucius Malfoy," Harry couldn't help but grin as many looked at him surprised.

Harry couldn't help but glance at Blaise who was glaring at him.

"Gave back?" asked Charlie, catching those two key words.

"It'll be explained," was all Harry said.

**Then he started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom… **

**"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add — but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?" **

**So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary — or Ginny. She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic.**

"Glad you cared, Harry," said Ginny, smiling to herself.

Harry looked down at her with adoring eyes as the twins retched, but were grinning at the same time.

**Riddle's diary didn't work anymore… How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all? **

**Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.**

**"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "Is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania." **

**Relief — warm, sweeping, glorious relief – swept over Harry. "W-what's that?" said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. "You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not… Ginny hasn't been… has she?" **

**"It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen…"**

**Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages. **

**"Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered. **

**"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school… traveled far and wide… sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."**

"Interesting," murmured Charlie, making Hermione frown. Charlie wasn't – no, how stupid of her to think that Charlie could be the traitor.

**"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with — with — him?" **

**"His d-diary" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year —" **

**"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything. What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain?**

"Words that even Mad-Eye would approve of," piped up Tonks.

Mrs. Weasley smiled, knowing her husband would have blushed with pleasure at the compliment. She sighed. She would never admit it, but she was missing her husband and his infatuation with Muggle artifacts.

**Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!' **

**"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it —"**

Lupin started to look suspiciously at the book. _Had the book been planted?_

**"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her.**

"Here, here!" cried the twins.

"I wouldn't mind some Firewhiskey," whispered Bill making his closest brother grin and nod.

Hermione frowned, but it instantly disappeared as she remembered that Charlie was of age. She wished that her and Charlie's age difference wasn't so wide. It was a bit strange, wasn't it? But of course even in the Muggle world age differences could be a fifteen year difference. And look at Tonks and Lupin! But she was still in school. Hermione sighed. She was wishing hopelessly that life was easy.

**"You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice — I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment." **

**"So Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly.**

Hermione grimaced.

**"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.**

**Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken. **

**"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?" **

**"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?" **

**"Certainly," said Dumbledore. **

**She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely — surely — they weren't about to be punished?**

Mouths opened in shock.

Sirius didn't have the heart to make a dramatic comment, his mind still on the image of Harry on the floor covered in blood.

**"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore. **

**Ron opened his mouth in horror. **

**"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling. "You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."**

A few mouths popped open in bewilderment. Percy was most likely the most.

"They break almost over a hundred rules and they're rewarded 400 points?" said Percy in outrage.

"Most of those were to save your sister," said Bill sternly.

"Who petrified people, and opened the Chamber of Secrets," sniffed Percy, hiding his emotions as per usual.

Harry stiffened and put his arms around Ginny's waist.

"The Ministry has really brainwashed you, haven't they?" said Harry quietly.

Percy's head quickly turned to stare at Harry.

"And you, spreading lies," sneered Percy, before standing up and marching to his room.

_Did Percy rub off of Ron?_ Ginny couldn't help but wonder as she glared at her brother's back.

Tonks cleared her throat, feeling as if she was intruding in a families squabble, before she continued to read.

**Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers and closed his mouth again. **

**"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?" **

**Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart. He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to. **

**"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart —" **

**"Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?" **

**"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.**

A few people growled at the reminder.

**"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"**

"So, you knew he was a fraud?" asked Charlie curiously.

Dumbledore's eyes merely twinkled.

**"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."**

A few people snorted.

**"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron.**

**"I'd like a few more words with Harry…" **

**Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door. **

**Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire. **

**"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous. **

**"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you**.**"**

Understanding and confusion went through the majority of the room.

**He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him. **

**"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you…"**

Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth.

**"Professor Dumbledore… Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said…" **

**"Did he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?" **

**"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm — I'm in Gryffindor, I'm…" **

**But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.**

"You are not honestly comparing yourself to that murderer?" asked Sirius, finally snapping out of his reverie.

Harry looked down at his shoes. Besides that main factor, he _was_ similar to Voldemort. _But, _he thought. _I'm the only one who believes that._

**"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd — I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while… because I can speak Parseltongue…" **

**"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort — who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"**

"What?!" was the main response that reverberated around the room.

Harry let out a long sigh, and continued to study his shoes. He was starting to get really tired of reading his life. At least the majority of the people in the room were people he trusted, but still…

**"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck. **

**"It certainly seems so." **

**"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it —"**

"Being cunning is another trait of Slytherin, Harry," whispered Ginny into Harry's ear. "That's not a bad thing to have."

Harry gave her a small smile, but still continued to study his shoes.

**"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules," he added,**

"I see why James was almost put into Slytherin," muttered Sirius, thinking back to when Remus told him the shocking news.

"That's me!" exclaimed James, grinning.

"You're Parseltonge?" asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow.

"Er – of course not," said James, picking imaginary lint off his robes.

Ginny shrugged and looked away, but Harry had looked up to study his biological eldest son. Was James a Parseltongue? Was it hereditary?

**his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think." **

**"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…" **

**"Exactly, "said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."**

"Wise words," murmured Bill.

Malfoy was looking guiltily down at his hands.

**Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this." **

**Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt. **

**_Godric Gryffindor _**

**"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.**

Teddy couldn't help but glance at Neville and smile. Just thinking about his history book and reading what Neville had done for the student in Hogwarts in his seventh year and killing the snake by pulling the sword out of the hat… Neville really _was _a true Gryffindor.

Neville noticed this out of the corner of his eye and was becoming very confused as Teddy's smile seemed to broaden as he looked deep in thought.

**For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink. **

**"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban —we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added Thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher… Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"**

Teddy snorted rather loudly before muttering, "Understatement of the century."

**Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall. **

**Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.**

"What's _he_ doing there?" asked Bill with disgust.

Harry glanced worriedly at Blaise as he saw the anger burning in his eyes.

**"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly. **

**Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.**

"Poor, Dobby," said Hermione, looking glum, but instantly perking up knowing how happy he was now that he was free.

"Elf nearly killed my God-son," muttered Sirius, out of hearing distance.

**The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoys shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.**

**"So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts." **

**"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasleys daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."**

Many were looking disgusted and with the looks penetrating the book, Harry was rather surprised it hadn't caught on fire yet.

**Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury. **

**"So — have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?" **

**"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile. **

**"Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?" **

**"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary." **

**He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby. **

**The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.**

Understanding went through Lupin, and he tried to conceal his fury.

Charlie's eyes went wide and just opened his mouth when Bill covered it with his hand.

"Stop being so bloody smart and listen to the story," said Bill sternly.

Hermione, along with a few other people laughed as Charlie glared at his favorite brother.

"You forgot handsome," said Charlie as Bill took his hand away.

"Really?" said Bill, looking down at his fingernails. "Must have skipped my mind,"

Charlie elbowed Bill in the ribs, with a grin on his face.

"I think you're very handsome, Uncle Charlie," said Lily, with a frown on her face. "Aunt Hermione – "

Ginny with a wide grin on her face, covered her daughters mouth to spare her friends' embarrassment.

"Oh, Charlie," said George with a dramatic voice. "You're more handsome than Merlin."

"I saw him first," pouted Fred.

Many people started laughing, happy that all the stress was gone.

"You think I'm handsome, Aunt Hermione?" whispered Charlie huskily into Hermione's ear.

Hermione's face went red as a tomato.

**"I see…" said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore. **

**"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here —" Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…" **

**Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike. **

**"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and — killing Muggle-borns… Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…"**

"Wretched man," muttered Mrs. Weasley with intense hatred.

**Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak. **

**"Very fortunate," he said stiffly.**

**And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head. **

**And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment. **

**"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" said Harry. **

"Shut up, Harry," murmured almost everyone in the room, making the wizard blush.

**Lucius Malfoy rounded on him. **

**"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said. **

**"Because you have it to her," said Harry. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?" **

**He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench. **

**"Prove it," he hissed.**

"That's almost a confession," said James, looking amused.

Harry was becoming increasingly worried as he saw Blaise's hand twitch toward his robes. Could, possibly, the future witches and wizarded use magic? He would have to ask Teddy.

**"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you…" **

**Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!" **

**He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor.**

"Don't go on about SPEW," said Ginny quickly, before Hermione could open her mouth.

"I thought it was – " started Lily, confused.

"Shh!" said James loudly.

A few curious expressions were exchanged.

**Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him — **

**"Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"**

"Noble prat," muttered Ginny, making sure Harry heard her.

Harry let out a wide grin.

**"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember…" Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it.**

"That's how Dobby became free?" said Hermione amused.

**He caught up with them at the top of the stairs. **

**"Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you —" **

**And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand. **

**"What the —?" **

**Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter," he said softly. "They were meddlesome fools, too."**

A few growls were emitted around the room.

**He turned to go. **

"**Come, Dobby. I said, come." **

**But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure. **

**"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby." **

**"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?" **

**"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free."**

Malfoy couldn't stop his mouth from falling open, but immediately closed it before his father saw.

_That's _how Dobby became free? Because Potter tricked his father? _Should he add that to the list of lies his father has told him? _thought Malfoy wryly.

**Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry. **

**"You've lost me my servant, boy!" **

**But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!" **

**There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below. He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger. **

**"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now." **

**Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.**

"And ran like the coward he is," said Lily, grinning a toothy type of grin only she could pull off.

Almost everyone was laughing and Blaise had put a hand in his robes with fury burning in his eyes much like it had in Dumbledore's office all those years ago.

Harry quickly grabbed the giggling toddler and put her on his lap. He figured the farther away she was from Lucius the better.

Blaise sent him a fleet scathing look, before taking his hand out of his robes.

**"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!" **

**"Least I could do, Dobby," said Harry, grinning. "Just promise never to try and save my life again."**

A few more chuckles went around the room.

"Tell me about it," muttered Sirius.

**The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile. **

**"I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry's sock with shaking hands. "You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well —" **

**"It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?"**

There was a chorus of groans.

"Didn't you know?" asked Luna curiously. "It was quite obvious, but I guess the Blubbering Humdingers were starting to breed early this year."

Luna turned the page of the book as almost everyone exchanged looks between bewilderment and amusement.

**"Right," said Harry weakly. "Well, I'd better go. There's a feast, and my friend Hermione should be awake by now…" **

**Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him. **

**"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!" **

**And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.**

**Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Harry didn't know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring. his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or his and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat ("Oh, no!" said Hermione),**

Many people snorted and they shook their heads in amusement.

**or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.**

Snape couldn't stop a small smile. He had been cheering in his head when he heard the news.

**"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me." **

**The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences — Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again. **

"Because that's all that matters," whispered Harry, kissing Ginny on the cheek.

Ginny's face was hurting from the wide smile that stretched across her face.

**Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it. **

**They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something. **

**"Ginny – what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?" **

**"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a girlfriend." **

**Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head.**

There was a chorus of laughter.

**"What?" **

**"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day.**

"It was a rather awful sight," said Ginny, grinning at the twins who were grinning madly back, thinking of the non-stop grief they had given Percy back at the Burrow.

**He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously. **

**"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early. **

**"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.**

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes at the twins and everyone else who couldn't hold back a chuckle, but her eyes were shining with amusement.

**The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped. **

**Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione. **

**"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to…"**

A few people growled. No one wanted to think about the Dursleys.

**"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?" **

**"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…" **

**And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.**

"And on that happy note," said Luna, closing the book. "That's the end of the second book."

There was suddenly clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen making a few jump.

"Lunch!" said Sirius with glee, immediately dashing to the kitchen.

A few people rolled their eyes and followed after Sirius in a normal pace.

Harry got up and suddenly felt a lurch in his stomach, he quickly sat down.

Ginny gave him a no nonsense look.

"I'll be there in a minute, love," said Harry, looking at her pleadingly.

She felt a jolt at being called '_love'_, and couldn't help but give him a smile and peck before Lily and Al had started to drag her away to the kitchen.

Only one person remained in the room.

Teddy Lupin came over by Harry and sat down; his turquoise hair bright and wild as ever.

They didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Da – Harry," said Teddy quietly, his hair changing to a silvery gray. "I'm so sorry. If we would have known that you would be feeling the pain of the past, we would have never – "

"Teddy, stop," said Harry calmly, giving him a tired smile.

Teddy closed his mouth and watched the boy who grew up to be his mentor and fatherly figure carefully.

"If feeling this pain is in exchange for saving lives, I'll gladly take it."

"That's not the point, Harry," said Teddy sadly.

They sat in a silence again. Laughter was coming from the kitchen, and the smell of food was slowly wafting into the reading room.

"I was wondering, Teddy," said Harry, looking at his God-son curiously. "Can you use ma - "

Harry was abruptly cut off by a loud thumping noise coming from the door that allowed the person into the Room of Requirement. The walls were shaking and seemed to be vibrating from impact.

Harry and Teddy quickly shot up and pointed their wands at the door simultaneously; the laughter from the kitchen immediately ceased.

Harry could faintly hear two doors opening and assumed that was Ron and Percy.

There was a loud silence, the silence that seemed to surge Harry with adrenaline. His hunger and pain from his stomach was forgotten. His eyes were firmly on the door.

The door suddenly burst open, making a few people yell out.

Gasps went through out the room. There in the entrance way was Mad-Eye, Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, McGonagall, and Narcissa.

"Arthur!" yelled Mrs. Weasley and quickly ran to give her husband a hug.

Harry and Teddy were the only ones to keep their wands aloft, while Remus and Sirius still had a firm grip on theirs in their pocket.

"Molly," said Arthur seriously, but amused. "Maybe you should've checked that I really _am _Arthur,"

Mrs. Weasley gave him a glare. "I can tell who is and who is not my husband, Arthur,"

Mr. Weasley gave his wife a grin.

"I congratulate you both," said Moody toward Teddy and Harry, his low, rumbling voice carrying throughout the room. "Constant vigilance,"

"Yes, yes," said Professor McGonagall impatiently. "But they need to know now."

Teddy and Harry still seemed hesitant to lower their wands, but they grudgingly did.

"Know what?" asked Harry.

"Harry," said Kingsley hurriedly. "Time has sped up by someone within the Ministry and your Hearing with the Wizengamont is tomorrow."

"Bloody hell," said the twins exasperated.

* * *

Thanks for reading!(:

This is where the updates really start to slow... I'll try to post as soon as I can, really! There's two more chapters after this that are already written, but the one after that is only 1/3 of the way complete.

I will really try to update once a week after the two prewritten chapters are posted, and try to post no later than every other week. School is coming to a close in two months [yay!] and my AP Placement Test is approaching much more rapidly than I would like. I'm also writing another fan fiction on Wattpad that really needs my attention for updating. Sadly, school comes first no matter how much I would just love to write and read all day.(:


	33. Chapter 33: The Hearing

Mouths around the Room of Requirement popped open.

"What?" said Harry faintly.

"Let's all sit down," suggested Mr. Weasley, an arm still around his wife.

Harry's mouth was dry and he seemed to be frozen to the floor. He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Lily looking up at him with wide curious eyes so similar to his. Harry gave her a faint smile before sitting on the couch.

"I know that this has come as a shock, Harry," said Mr. Weasley carefully, after hugging his children and sitting down with a large sigh. "But we need to keep a cool head about this."

"A cool head?" said Harry dangerously.

"Potter," said McGonagall sharply. "The Hearing will be fine. You have broken no rules. Everyone in this room and the person who sped up time are the only ones who know this has happened."

Harry gritted his teeth, and risked a glance at Blaise. Harry wanted to rip his hair out with frustration and anger as he saw the faint smirk on his lips. He was behind it. Bloody Lucius Malfoy.

He glanced at Malfoy and surprisingly saw true, evident guilt there. Had the books already changed him?

He was even more surprised as he noticed Narcissa studying Blaise with a shrewd concentration.

He knew losing his temper would only give Lucius more satisfaction, so he let out a shaky breath and calmly looked at McGonagall.

The Transfiguration Professor hid her shock as she saw Potter's calm facade toward her, when she was so sure she saw burning anger in his eyes just a few seconds ago.

"What's going to happen?" asked Harry calmly. Harry didn't notice, but the people in the Room of Requirement were trying not to gawk at the usually tempered wizard.

"I'll be taking you to the Ministry," said Mr. Weasley smiling encouragingly. "You can wait in my office until the time of the hearing."

"And a first impression can do wonders," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling kindly at him. "So wash your hair tonight and I'll lay clothes out for you in the morning."

Everyone was staring at Harry, and he could faintly feel his face flushing, so he cleared his throat.

"Arthur," said Dumbledore, making the attention from Harry be relieved. "I think it would be wise to arrive earlier than usual. You never know when last minute decisions are made."

Harry sighed and Arthur nodded.

"I think it would be sensible," said Kingsley, who had been keeping an eye on Harry since he arrived in the Room of Requirement. "To post-pone the reading until after the hearing. Maybe play some Quidditch?" Kingsley was giving Harry a knowing smile.

Harry was torn. It would be a form of relief to pretend he was a normal wizard, but other matters were important.

"You and me do need to have a match, Harry," said Charlie, giving Harry a challenging grin.

"I dibs Harry," said the twins grinning, jumping up.

Charlie gave them a glare. The twins' grins broadened as they stood next to Harry.

"I'll be narrating," said Teddy, grinning with excitement.

"Can you play?" asked Lupin curiously.

"I don't mind it," said Teddy shrugging. "But I would prefer to narrate."

"Are you like your father?" said McGonagall, giving the turquoise-haired young man a look.

Teddy's grin merely widened. McGonagall rolled her eyes, but if you looked close enough you would see she was smiling.

Charlie was ignoring the talking as he tried to strategize. "Ginny, mind being Chaser for me?"

"Would love to Char-Bear," said Ginny, giving her brother a wink. She and Charlie exchanged what seemed to be evil looks.

Harry had a sneaky suspicion it was about him.

"Malfoy," said Harry carefully. "Mind being Keeper?"

The talking in the Room of Requirement seemed hushed and Draco stared at Harry incredulously. "S – sure," he stuttered, not at all like his sneering and drawling self.

Ron was furious as he was just about to volunteer to be Keeper for Harry. There was no bloody way he would be Keeper for Charlie. He had been practicing and was going to try out for Gryffindor Keeper this year. He muttered something under his breath and departed to his room. Percy did the same.

There was an awkward pause, but this was Quidditch everyone was talking about so the tension quickly vanished into animated discussions.

The adults that were in no fit to play Quidditch started laughing at the excitement that was surging in the room and told them they would go grab a seat to watch.

Snape and Dumbledore decided to hang back.

Blaise just opened his mouth that he had wanted to hang back also, when Narcissa strode over and clapped Blaise on the back. "Guess we should cheer for our fellow Slytherin, Blaise?"

Blaise hid his disappointment, and suspicion and nodded, following his foolish ex-wife out the door.

As the teams had been decided and everyone left laughing and teasing the other it was quiet in the Room of Requirement.

Dumbledore inclined his head toward the Meeting Room and Snape nodded, following the Headmaster.

Ron was currently planning revenge as he cursed his fate on the lone bed he shared in his room. Did Harry even consider asking him to be on his team? Did he even hear one hesitant knock on his bedroom door asking if he would like to play? No. They left him here without a second thought.

He had been hesitant to follow all of Blaise's instructions for he didn't like taking orders. Especially from someone in slippery Slytherin, but now he had to. They've left him no choice.

In the Meeting Room was a curious sight to behold. Dumbledore was his usual calm self, perched on the round table, but his eyes didn't have the usual twinkle. They held determination and a fiery compassion.

Snape, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth muttering to himself. When he finally stopped, he stood straight and looked Dumbledore in the eye with bewilderment and uncertainty.

"And you're sure this will work? This could easily back fire and Harry would surely not forgive easily."

"And since when have you been calling Harry by his first name?" said Dumbledore, giving him a serene smile.

Snape glared at the Headmaster impatiently.

"It's a risk we have to take. Cornelius will be interfering with Hogwarts in ways most unpleasant and Harry, if my suspicions prove correct, will need him by his side during these troubling times."

Snape remained quiet and after a few moments finally gave Dumbledore a stiff nod.

"Good," said Dumbledore clapping his hands together. "On to the next subject: I believe Ronald Weasley will prove to be more trouble that I had originally thought."

More bewilderment from the usually calm Snape. "Wouldn't Percy Weasley fit this category? He will be Court Scribing during the Hearing – "

"Percy is more of a Gryffindor then he is taken credit for. Ronald Weasley is who I'm afraid will be difficult, though the young man is still a Gryffindor at heart. "

Severus stared.

"Lucius, or as we know as Blaise, has been pushing Mr. Weasley into a dark place that will prove to be too late if we don't act. These books will help, I think, but we'll need to keep a closer eye on him in case revenge and scheming plans mastered by Lucius are going to be used."

"If we could confide in a few members of the Order – "

"And risk little Lily Luna Potter's life?" said Dumbledore, looking at Snape over his half-mooned spectacles.

Snape remained quiet.

"You, Severus, and I, are the only ones capable of strong enough Legilemency, unless you wish to endanger Harry's daughter – the girl named after Lily Evans."

Snape remained quiet though he didn't appreciate being reminded of Lily.

"Then it's settled," said Dumbledore, getting up. "Merely keep a closer eye on Mr. Weasley and to stop as many plans Blaise has constructed as inconspicuously as possible."

Snape gave Dumbledore a curt nod.

"I'm sure this Quidditch match will last longer than most House ones, so feel free to set up your classes before term starts, Severus," said Dumbledore smiling, with his usual twinkle back in his eyes.

Snape nodded and left.

Nearly three hours later, laughter could be heard through the corridors of Hogwarts that echoed through the castle wakening many curious portraits.

"I can't believe we lost!" exclaimed Charlie for the thirtieth or so time.

"We know Charlie," said Bill rolling his eyes.

"It was a close game," said Harry grinning who had an arm around Ginny.

"You little sister –" said George, taking Ginny away from Harry and putting an arm around her neck.

"Almost lost us the game," finished Fred, mimicking his twin's movements.

Ginny grinned.

"Bloody red heads," muttered Sirius to Lupin, who had overheard the conversation.

Sirius had played Chaser for Harry and the fiery girl had been swooping in and out giving Harry surprise kisses. She had distracted Harry so much at one moment that he had started to play Tag and Charlie had nearly caught the Snitch.

"Oh stop glaring at me, James," said Teddy exasperated.

"You're narrating made me drop the Quaffle!" pouted James grumpily.

Teddy rolled his eyes at his brother's competitiveness.

Harry walked a little slower so he was walking next to Malfoy.

"You make a good Keeper, Malfoy. Maybe you should try for that instead of Seeker," said Harry, looking ahead.

Malfoy stopped walking for a short second before catching up to Harry.

"T – thanks, Potter," muttered Malfoy.

Harry shrugged.

"But don't think I was being Keeper for you," he suddenly sneered.

Harry just shook his head and allowed himself a small smile.

Malfoy was becoming unnerved with Potter's nonchalance.

"You play good Beater, Neville," said Luna thoughtfully.

Neville's face flushed. Every time he hit a Bludger his eyes had been closed and let out a cowardly yelp.

"But I supposed the Filishusters helped," continued Luna serenely.

"Thanks, Luna," said Neville, wondering what a Filishuster could ever be.

"No problem, Neville," said Luna brightly.

"What's a Filishuster?" asked Al curiously.

Luna proceeded to get into an animated discussion with the young Gryffindor about creatures with fairy powers that do certain things to the brain to make even the most disabled skilled.

"Do you think the Hearing will be alright?" fretted Mrs. Weasley.

The adults were staying further back from the younger crowd and Narcissa and Blaise were even further back in complete silence.

"Dumbledore thinks so," said Mr. Weasley.

"Madam Bones is fair," said Kingsley confidently. "Harry will be alright."

"They can't use Unforgivable curses during a Hearing," growled Moody. "Potter should be fine,"

Mrs. Weasley looked less sure.

"I think we should go to the Hearing," said Sirius seriously.

Instantly, disagreement was raised by the Order members.

"Now think rationally, Black," said McGonagall sternly.

"I think Sirius is right," said Lupin thoughtfully.

"You don't understand – " argued Sirius. "I – You do?" said Sirius bewildered.

"I know it's supposed to be a private Hearing, but I'm sure I read a law about the Misuse of Underage Magic Hearings that friends and family are allowed to attend if the evidence against the accused isn't conclusive."

"There's my book worm friend!" cried Sirius, punching the werewolf's shoulder.

Lupin rolled his eyes.

"But," Lupin said giving his friend a stern gaze. "That means one member of the Prophet is allowed to be there and most wouldn't come to a small Hearing about Underage Magic, but since the accused is Harry…"

Sirius' joyous mood vanished.

"Reeter Skeeter will twist the facts," said Sirius frowning.

"But Harry doesn't really care about the Prophet," said Lupin.

"But I'm sure," added McGonagall. "That the entire school does.

"I'm sure friends and family will keep Harry's temper in check at the Hearing and at Hogwarts," argued Mr. Weasley.

"Don't you feel," said Mrs. Weasley, abruptly changing the subject; her mind being somewhere else. "That Harry knows something we don't?"

Everyone turned to Mrs. Weasley making the plump witch blush.

Lupin looked thoughtful again. "I think Harry always knows something that we don't."

No one argued with that assumption.

Dinner that night was filled with laughter but, once in a while, someone would glance at Harry making the young wizard quite antsy.

"I think a good night's rest is in order," said Mrs. Weasley an hour after eating as everyone was lounging in the reading room sharing stories and Harry was just starting to feel normal. "Would you like a calming drought before bed, Harry?"

Harry tried to look impassive as everyone turned to stare. "I'll be fine, Mrs. Weasley."

But, as Harry tossed and turned all through the night, he rather wished he would've accepted Mrs. Weasley's offer.

"This is hopeless," muttered Harry.

"Boo."

Harry jumped and looked to see Ginny's silhouetted form rather close to him.

"Ginny – what – ?"

"Shut up and move over."

Harry easily obliged.

And as the couple soon fell asleep, while Charlie and Bill quickly exchanged grinning looks from where they rested, no one knew that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin had left the Room of Requirement.

Harry awoke at half past five the next morning, feeling more rested than usual. But the nervousness of the Hearing made it feel as if he had knots in his stomach. He put on his glasses and looked down to see Ginny peacefully sleeping; it was then belatedly that he saw Lily was sleeping in between both of them, but curled up into such a small ball he almost hadn't noticed. He kissed the most important girls in his life on the forehead before quietly getting out of bed.

After he was showered and dressed he walked quietly to the kitchen, expecting it to be empty, but a rumble of voices contradicted that.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks were all quietly talking around the table as if waiting for him.

Mrs. Weasley immediately leapt to her feet as soon as she caught sight of Harry.

"Breakfast," she said as she turned on the oven the Muggle way and only taking two attempts to achieve.

"M – m – morning, Harry," yawned Tonks. Her hair was a pretty blonde and intricately curled. "Sleep alright?"

"Yeah," said Harry truthfully.

"I – I've been up a – all night now," said Tonks with a shuddering yawn. "Sit down,"

Harry caught the chair Tonks almost knocked down.

"What do you want, Harry? Muffins? Toast? Bacon and eggs?"

"Just toast, thanks," said Harry, not at all feeling he would be able to eat much.

Harry tried to eat, mostly because of Mrs. Weasley's worried gaze, but it was as if he was chewing carpet. His insides were squirming uncomfortably.

"Probably should get going," said Mr. Weasley, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones' office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is okay, Harry," said Tonks earnestly. "She's fair, she'll hear you out."

"The laws on your side," said Lupin quietly. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations."

Harry nodded.

"Don't lose your temper, and you'll be fine," said Sirius. "You'll see all of us quicker than you expect."

There was something about the way Sirius said that that made Harry curious.

"Dumbledore got permission from Madam Bones to use Floo Powder to get to the Ministry, though I wish we could have gone through the visitors entrance," Mr. Weasley started to look wistful.

"Go on, go on," said Mrs. Weasley with an eye roll as she gestured to the fireplace that suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "Speak clearer this time, Harry, don't need another repeat – "

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry hurriedly, his face slightly red.

"Ministry of Magic," said Mr. Weasley loudly and clearly before he stepped into the green flames.

"You'll be fine, Harry," encouraged Sirius as Mr. Weasley vanished, though he was looking also slightly anxious.

Harry gave his God Father a faint smile before mimicking Mr. Weasley and feeling the similar and uncomfortable sensation of squeezing into a small tube as the Room of Requirement vanished.

Mr. Weasley barely gave Harry enough time to gawk at the magnificent hall they were in of the Ministry of Magic along with the fountain that nearly reached the ceiling. Harry thought the ceiling didn't really capture the right personalities of the goblin, centaur, and house-elf, but Mr. Weasley was pushing Harry along after getting his wand checked and into a packed elevator of witches and wizards where there was barely any room to breathe.

Harry could barely hear a word what others were whispering around him because of his heart that seemed to be beating with anticipation and suspense.

"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services."

"This is us, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, who got off the lift and started down a long corridor lined with doors. "My office is on the other side of the floor."

Harry nodded.

"Mr. Weasley," said Harry, eyeing a few windows that had sunlight streaming through. "Aren't we still underground?"

"Yes, we are," said Mr. Weasley. "Those are enchanted windows. Magical Maintenance decided what weather we'll get every day. We had two months of hurricanes last time they were angling for a pay rise… Just round here, Harry."

Soon enough, Harry found himself in a small office that had somehow squeezed two desks in along with cabinets that lined the walls.

"We haven't got a window," said Mr. Weasley apologetically. "But, have a seat behind Perkin's desk, Harry,"

Harry managed to squeeze himself into a chair behind Perkins's desk when a timid- looking old wizard with fluffy white hair had entered the room panting.

"Oh, Arthur!" he said desperately. "Thank goodness you're – an urgent message came five minutes ago – "

"I know about the regurgitating toilet," said Mr. Weasley, looking at a flying memo that had zoomed into the room just seconds before.

"No, no it's not the toilet! It's the Potter boy's hearing! They've changed the time – it starts at 8 o' clock down in courtroom ten!"

"Merlin's beard!" said Mr. Weasley before letting out a small yelp as he looked down at his watch.

"Quick, Harry, we're going to be late!"

Harry followed after Mr. Weasley in a run.

"Thank goodness we didn't use the visitor's entrance or we might've missed it!"

"Why have they changed the time?" Harry said breathlessly, as they hurtled past the Auror cubicles; people poked out their heads and stared as they streaked past. Harry felt as though he'd left all his insides back at Perkins's desk.

"I've no idea. Those courtrooms haven't been used in years," said Mr. Weasley angrily. "I can't think why they're doing it down there - unless - but no -"

Mr. Weasley abruptly stopped talking as the door to the lift opened showing a few more impatient looking witches and wizards.

A few seconds later after entering the lift it came to a stop.

"Department of Mysteries," said the cool female voice, and left it at that.

"Quick, Harry," said Mr. Weasley as the lift doors rattled open, and they sped up a corridor that was quite different from those above. The walls were bare; there were no windows and no doors apart from a plain black one set at the very end of the corridor. Harry expected them to go through it, but instead Mr. Weasley seized him by the arm and dragged him to the left, where there was an opening leading to a flight of steps.

"Down here, down here," panted Mr. Weasley, taking two steps at a time. "The lift doesn't even come down this far…"

They came to a skid at the bottom of the stairs and now continued in a swift jog.

"Courtroom… Ten… I think… we're nearly… yes."

Mr. Weasley stumbled to a halt outside a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock and slumped against the wall, clutching at a stitch in his chest.

Mr. Weasley glanced down at his watch. "Right on time… yes… now go on,"

"Aren't - aren't you coming with -"

"No, no, I'm not allowed. Good luck!"

Harry's heart was beating a violent tattoo against his Adam's apple. He swallowed hard, turned the heavy iron door handle and stepped inside the courtroom.

Harry gasped; he could not help himself. It was the same courtroom that he had seen in the Pensieve where he watched the Lestranges sentence to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

"You're late," rang a cold voice across the court room.

"By fifteen seconds, now really – " said an awfully familiar voice that was soon shushed.

His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked across the stone floor. When he sat gingerly on the edge of the chair the chains clinked threateningly, but did not bind him. Feeling rather sick, he looked up at the people seated at the bench above.

There was about fifty of them, all, as far as he could see wearing plum- colored robes with a delicately stitched W on their chests. In the front row sat Cornelius Fudge who wasn't wearing his usual lime-green bowler hat. Next to him sat a no nonsense woman with short gray hair who, he assumed, was Madam Bones, and on his other side was another witch that was sitting too far back to be seen.

Harry's heart suddenly lifted. Right behind Cornelius Fudge was Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Al, James, Lily, Teddy, Hermione, Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, Lupin, Luna, Neville, and Sirius who was in his Animagus form.

Harry had to contain his laughter as he saw Al and James were secretly scratching the Minister of Magic's ear with feathers making the portly man twitch every few seconds.

He wondered at first why Mr. Weasley wasn't allowed, but then he realized, maybe those who worked in the Ministry of Magic were not allowed in during the Hearing.

Behind his friends and family he saw Reeter Skeeter with her Quick Note Quill eyeing him and his children with one of interest as the Quill went back and forth on the hovering notepad as she muttered too low for him to hear.

"HI DADDY!" echoed Lily's voice in the loud silence.

Harry would've been embarrassed before the books but he had decided he no longer cared what people thought and gave his daughter a noticeable wink.

"Shh, Lily," he heard Ginny whisper, with a hardly contained grin.

Curious looks were given to his youngest daughter and girlfriend/wife.

"Silence will be given throughout the Hearing," said Fudge coldly.

Harry could barely contain his laughter as Lily stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

Soon enough, Al, James, Lily, Fred and George were making faces at the Minister making it rather difficult for Harry to concentrate on what Fudge was rambling about.

" – Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley -"

"Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," said a quiet voice from behind Harry, who turned his head so fast he cricked his neck.

Dumbledore was wearing midnight blue robes with a serene and pleasant expression as he strode to where Harry sat.

Dumbledore waved his wand and what looked like a very comfortable arm chair, appeared next to Harry. He sat with his hands together and his eyes looking at Fudge with a piercing expression over his half-moon spectacles over his very crooked nose.

The members of the Wizengamot were muttering. All eyes were now on Dumbledore. Some looked annoyed, others slightly frightened; two elderly witches in the back row, however, raised their hands and waved in welcome.

Though his family and friends had already made Harry feel braver – hope that this hearing would turn in his favor swelled inside of him at the sight of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore did not look at Harry and if the incident of eye contact earlier in the Room of Requirement had not happened Harry supposed he would be rather confused and flustered.

"Ah," said Fudge, who looked thoroughly disconcerted. "Dumbledore. Yes. You - er - got our – er - message that the time and -er - place of the hearing had been changed, then?"

"I must have missed it," said Dumbledore cheerfully…"However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done."

His two sons were silently laughing and his daughter let out a giggle, which made Fudge's expression sour.

"Yes," said Fudge after clearing his throat and shuffling his notes. "Well, then. So. The charges. Yes."

He extricated a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read out, "The charges against the accused are as follows: That he did knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produced a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on the second of August at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offence under Paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.

"Family and friends are allowed that do not work in the Ministry of Magic under the 394th decree, which in exchange a member of the Prophet is allowed to come if they wish to. The Prophet is represented today by Reeter Skeeter." Fudge did not look happy of this decree being allowed.

Harry could see Lily behind him puffing out her cheeks in an attempt to look like Fudge making him unknowingly grin

"You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge said, glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment, making Harry's grin quickly be hidden.

"Yes," Harry said.

"You received an official warning three years ago for using illegal magic, did you not?"

"Yes, but – "

"Knowing you are not allowed to use magic outside of school while under seventeen?"

"Yes but – "

"Fully aware that – "

Sirius suddenly growled making the Minister jump.

"Animals are not allowed in the Court Room during the Hearing," said Fudge with disgust.

There were two guards Harry noticed by the door which he had signaled to grab Sirius.

Sirius swiftly jumped over the Minister's head and jumped on Harry's lap and let out a menacing growl when the guards got too close.

"I'm sure a dog will not be too troublesome," said Dumbledore cheerfully, giving Sirius a pat on the head making Snuffles grin a grin only he could do.

"Er – I supposed not – " said Fudge rather moodily.

"You produced a corporeal Patronus?" asked Madam Bones curiously, cutting off Fudge.

"A what?" asked Harry confused.

"Your Patronus took on a defined form besides vapor and smoke?"

"Yes," said Harry, becoming a little impatient. "It's a stag, it's always a stag."

"Always? When did you produce your first Patronus?"

"Professor Lupin taught me in my third year at Hogwarts," Harry couldn't help but smile at the werewolf.

"Impressive," said Madam Bones, looking thoughtful.

"It's not a question of how impressive the magic was," said Fudge in a testy voice, "in fact, the more impressive the worse it is, I would have thought, given that the boy did it in plain view of a Muggle!"

Ginny was nodding in encouragement that this was the time to speak up.

"I only did it because of the Dementors!" he said loudly.

A hushed silence went over the courtroom.

"Dementors? What do you mean, boy?" asked Madam Bones curiously.

"I mean there were two Dementors down that alleyway and they went for me and my cousin!"

"Ah," said Fudge again, smirking unpleasantly as he looked around at the Wizengamot, as though inviting them to share the joke. "Yes. Yes, I thought we'd be hearing something like this."

"Something like what, Minister?" said Harry, narrowing his eyes.

Fudge looked a little takenaback, but went back into his smirking mood.

"Dementors would make a very nice little cover story, very nice indeed. Muggles can't see Dementors, can they boy? Highly convenient, highly convention… so it's just your word and no witness… how similar to your past stories."

Harry was trying very hard not to lose his temper at the last comment.

"I'm not lying!" grounded at Harry. "There were two of them coming at us from the opposite side of the alley and everything was dark and cold – "

"Enough, enough," said Fudge carelessly. "I'm sorry to interrupt what would have probably been a well- rehearsed story –"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the whole Wizengamot became silent.

"We do have witness for the defense besides Dudley Dursley, Minister," said Dumbledore who was smiling serenely.

Fudge's plump face seemed to slacken, as though somebody had let air out of it. He stared down at Dumbledore for a moment or two, then, with the appearance of a man pulling himself back together, said, "We haven't got time to listen to more tarradiddles, I'm afraid, Dumbledore. I want this dealt with quickly -"

"I may be wrong," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "but I am sure that under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses for his or her case? Isn't that the policy of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Bones?" he continued, addressing the witch in the monocle.

"True," said Madam Bones. "Perfectly true."

"Oh, very well, very well," snapped Fudge. "Where is this person?"

"I brought her with me," said Dumbledore. "She's just outside the door. Should I -?"

"No — Weasley, you go," Fudge barked at Percy, who got up at once, ran down the stone steps from the judge's balcony and hurried past Dumbledore and Harry without glancing at them.

A moment later, Percy returned, followed by Mrs. Figg. She looked scared and more batty than ever. Harry wished she had thought to change out of her carpet slippers. Dumbledore stood up and gave Mrs. Figg his chair, conjuring a second one for himself.

"Full name?" said Fudge loudly, when Mrs. Figg had perched herself nervously on the very edge of her seat.

"Arabella Doreen Figg," said Mrs. Figg in her quavery voice.

"And who exactly are you?" said Fudge, in a bored and lofty voice.

"I'm a resident of Little Whinging, close to where Harry Potter lives," said Mrs. Figg.

"We have no record of any witch or wizard living in Little Whinging, other than Harry Potter," said Madam Bones at once. "That situation has always been closely monitored, given… given past events."

"I'm a Squib," said Mrs. Figg. "So you wouldn't have me registered, would you?"

"A Squib, eh?" said Fudge, eyeing her closely. "We'll be checking that. You'll leave details of your parentage with my assistant Weasley. Incidentally, can Squibs see Dementors?" he added, looking left and right along the bench.

"Yes, we can!" said Mrs. Figg indignantly.

Fudge looked back down at her, his eyebrows raised. "Very well," he said aloofly. "What is your story?"

Ginny was becoming increasingly nervous as she bounced Lily up and down on her knee. Mrs. Figg sounded as if she had been rehearsing this story for days and wasn't giving a convincing story as she talked through the events of what happened.

"Big and wearing cloaks," repeated Madam Bones coolly, while Fudge snorted derisively. "I see. Anything else?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Figg. "I felt them. Everything went cold, and this was a very warm summer's night, mark you. And I felt… as though all happiness had gone from the world… and I remembered… dreadful things…"

Her voice shook and died.

Madam Bones's eyes widened slightly. Harry could see red marks under her eyebrow where the monocle had dug into it.

"What did the Dementors do?" she asked, and Harry felt a rush of hope.

"They went for the boys," said Mrs. Figg, her voice stronger and more confident now, the pink flush ebbing away from her face. "One of them had fallen. The other was backing away, trying to repel the Dementor. That was Harry. He tried twice and produced only silver vapour. On the third attempt, he produced a Patronus, which charged down the first Dementor and then, with his encouragement, chased the second one away from his cousin. And that that is what happened,"

Mrs. Figg finished, somewhat lamely.

Madam Bones looked down at Mrs. Figg in silence. Fudge was not looking at her at all, but fidgeting with his papers. Finally, he raised his eyes and said, rather aggressively, "that's what you saw, is it?"

"That is what happened," Mrs. Figg repeated.

"Very well," said Fudge. "You may go."

Mrs. Figg hesitantly got up from the arm chair before shuffling her way to the door.

Harry heard it loudly shut behind her.

"Not a very convincing witness, Dumbledore," said Fudge scathingly.

"Oh, I don't know," said Madam Bones, in her booming voice. "She certainly described the effects of a Dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't."

"But Dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just happening to come across a wizard?" snorted Fudge. "The odds on that must be very, very long. Even Bagman wouldn't have bet -"

The twins glowered at the Minister at the mention of Ludo Bagman.

"Oh, I don't think any of us believe the Dementors were there by coincidence," said Dumbledore lightly.

Teddy had been impassive during the whole trial until the toad started to speak. That witch was worse than Voldemort. He would have to talk to the twins about what to do with her.

"I would remind everybody that the behavior of these Dementors, if indeed they are not figments of this boy's imagination, is not the subject of this hearing!" said Fudge. "We are here to examine Harry Potter's offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery!"

"Of course we are," said Dumbledore, "but the presence of Dementors in that alleyway is highly relevant. Clause Seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and as those exceptional circumstances include situations which threaten the life of the wizard or witch him - or herself, or any witches, wizards or Muggles present at the time of the -"

"We are familiar with Clause Seven, thank you very much!" snarled Fudge.

"Of course you are," said Dumbledore courteously. "Then we are in agreement that Harry's use of the Patronus Charm in these circumstances falls precisely into the category of exceptional circumstances the clause describes."

Fudge didn't answer and continued to shuffle through his notes before coming to a new argument.

"And I haven't even started on what he gets up to at school."

"But, as the Ministry has no authority to punish Hogwarts students for misdemeanors at school, Harry's behavior there is not relevant to this hearing," said Dumbledore, as politely as ever, but now with a suggestion of coolness behind his words.

"Oho!" said Fudge. "Not our business what he does at school, eh? You think so?"

"The Ministry does not have the power to expel Hogwarts students, Cornelius, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August," said Dumbledore. "Nor does it have the right to confiscate wands until charges have been successfully proven; again, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August. In your admirable haste to ensure that the law is upheld, you appear, inadvertently I am sure, to have overlooked a few laws yourself."

"Laws can be changed," said Fudge savagely.

"Of course they can," said Dumbledore, inclining his head. "And you certainly seem to be making many changes, Cornelius. Why, in the few short weeks since I was asked to leave the Wizengamot, it has already become the practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic!"

To Lupin and Sirius this seemed to be the best word of defense in Harry's case.

A few of the wizards above them shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Fudge turned a slightly deeper shade of pruce. The toadlike witch on his right, however, merely gazed at Dumbledore, her face quite expressionless.

"As far as I am aware," Dumbledore continued, "there is no law yet in place that says this court's job is to punish Harry for every bit of magic he has ever performed. He has been charged with a specific offence and he has presented his defense. All he and I can do now is to await your verdict."

Dumbledore went silent and Harry's heart started to beat faster.

Sirius gave Harry a soft whine, making him only smile weakly at his God Father.

The whispering from the Wizengamot had Harry on edge and he started to pet Snuffles to calm himself down.

"Those in favor of clearing the witness of all charges?" said Madam Bones' booming voice. Harry's head jerked upwards. There were hands in the air, many of them… more than half! Breathing very fast, he tried to count, but before he could finish, Madam Bones had said, "And those in favor of conviction?"

Fudge raised his hand; so did half a dozen others, including the witch on his right and the heavily-mustached wizard and the frizzy-haired witch in the second row. Fudge glanced around at them all, looking as though there was something large stuck in his throat, then lowered his own hand. He took two deep breaths and said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, "Very well, very well… cleared of all charges."

"Excellent," said Dumbledore briskly. "Now there is another matter we should get out of the way."

Fudge's eyes seemed to be bulging. "And what is that exactly?" he said sharply.

"The forgotten trial of Sirius Black of course."

* * *

Thanks for reading!(:

**None of the trial details and the previous events to the trial belong to me. They belong to JK Rowling.***  
^^^ Felt really guilty copying a lot of the trial from the book, but I didn't want to change it TOO much if that makes any sense.

And I miscalculated how many chapters that are prewritten... This is the last one. The next one is about a third of the way written so far, but at least it's Friday! I update my chapters as soon as they are written and I've read through it about five times. It all depends on how much homework and tests my school stockpiles on me, but I'll try to update no later than every other week and I hope it won't come to that.  
So! I'll just say sorry in advance(:

Your reviews are really keeping me going, so thank you for that especially since this has been a really crappy day and I've been all negative... so thank you(:


	34. Chapter 34: The Forgotten Trial

"The forgotten trial of Sirius Black of course," said Dumbledore as he got swiftly to his feet.

Dumbledore could have been talking about the weather.

No one said a word.

Harry's heart plummeted, his voice stuck in his throat. Dumbledore was joking – he had to be. Harry looked down at Sirius, whose head was still on his lap.

"He's joking, Snuffles," whispered Harry. "Right? You would have told me…" Harry trailed off at the forlorn expression on the shaggy black dog's face. Sirius knew. That's why he had been overly anxious this morning at breakfast; he wasn't just anxious for Harry's fate, he had been for his own.

"What is this?" asked Fudge finally, the color coming back to the Minister's face.

"I believe I made myself very clear," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "Unless you are succumbing to old age and to assure you I am as well… I can't remember where I put the socks Madam Rosmerta had given me last Christm – "

"I heard you!" spluttered Fudge indignant, his face becoming the shade of maroon.

"What do you mean the _forgotten_ trial?" asked Madam Bones curiously.

"Sirius Orion Black was never tried for the mass murder of Muggles and the supposed murder of Peter Pettigrew."

Muttering broke out among the Wizengamot.

"Ahem," came the toad-like witches' girly voice. "You can't be suggesting that Peter Pettigrew is alive? All was left was a finger!" Umbridge let out a girlish giggle that made Harry strangely break out into goose bumps. There were a few others in the Wizengamot who were laughing, but it was clearly forced.

"Indeed I am, Senior Secretary," said Dumbledore politely seemingly unfazed.

"And you have proof of the absence of a trial and that Pettigrew is still alive?' asked Fudge with gritted teeth and a forcible smirk.

"Veriteserum and my Pensieve should be sufficient evidence for now."

"But you need…" Fudge's eyes widened and then narrowed into slits.

"Oho! So you know of Sirius Black's whereabouts? And didn't inform the Aurors?"

"He has recently agreed to be here if the Wizengamot agreed to an immediate trial."

"I think this can be arranged," said Madam Bones gravely. "Cornelius?"

Fudge was scrutinizing Dumbledore, and after a few moments cleared his throat.

"Those in favor of the immediate trial of Sirius Black?"

Hands immediately shot up into the air except for Fudge, Umbridge, Percy and three others in the front row.

Reeter Skeeter seemed to have looked as if Christmas had arrived early.

"It's settled," said Fudge bitterly. "When is Black due to arrive?"

"Sirius Black is already here,"

Several witches and wizards were becoming restless now and were looking right and left as if Sirius Black had been noticeably present during Harry's Hearing.

Fudge seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Sirius," said Dumbledore, as he searched his robes for a lemon drop. "Please make your presence known."

"Don't," pleaded Harry quietly. His heart was thumping against his rib cage as if a bird wanting to be freed from its cage. "Please."

Sirius let out a soft whine, but eventually jumped off of Harry's lap and ran stealthily into the Wizengamot stands.

After a few seconds everyone seemed to look doubtful as Sirius still had not appeared.

"Is this some crack pot joke of yours, Dumbledore?" implied Fudge imploringly. "We all knew Sirius is too cowardly enough to sh – "

"I don't know about that, Fudge," said Sirius who was now sitting in between two witches to the far right of the stands. "I think Voldemort is a bit more cowardous than I,"

There was a collective gasp and a few shrieks (loudest coming from the two witches that sat on either side of Sirius) at his appearance and with the name being said.

Sirius was wearing what looked to be very expensive midnight black robes with hand-sewn lace at the hem of his wrists. His tattoos were just noticeable at the neckline and his sleek black hair was freshly washed and combed. He had an easy grin plastered to his face, but Harry noticed the facade.

"Sirius Black," hissed Fudge.

"Good evening, Minister," said Sirius, his insufferable grin still on his face. "I have to thank you for that newspaper you had given to me in Azkaban. The crossword puzzle had been extraordinarily challenging."

Every single eye was on Sirius as he descended down the steps to the floor where Harry and Dumbledore were.

"Thank you for coming, Sirius," said Dumbledore well naturally as he shook hands with Harry's godfather.

"No trouble at all, Dumbledore," said Sirius, the cocky grin permanently etched onto his face.

"Will the accused sit in the seat Potter is sitting in," came Fudge's voice that seemed to be coming from much farther away than what it really was.

Harry was still feeling light headed.

Sirius's grin seemed to waver as he made his way towards Harry.

"You can take Mrs. Figg's seat, Harry," said Dumbledore kindly.

But Harry didn't want to move. He knew what was to come. The chains would come to life and Sirius would be trapped. The chances that Sirius would get out of here a free man were very slim.

Sirius bent down to Harry's ear. "Harry, I'm going to be okay. You don't think I don't have a backup plan if this fails do you? This is my only chance to see if I can walk a free man."

Harry looked into his God father's eyes and the fatherly caring he saw in his eyes only made it more difficult to move.

Sirius moved away and said in a louder voice. "That seat can't be very comfortable, Harry. Let me take it off your hands."

A tug on Harry's pant leg made him snap out of his revere and there was Lily who must have crawled all the way down the steps to reach him.

"I wanna sit in the comfy chair, Daddy," said Lily, her bright green eyes understanding despite her young age.

"Okay, Lily," said Harry hoarsely.

He picked her up and moved his stiff legs to Mrs. Figg's arm chair.

And, like Harry predicted, the chains immediately went to life binding Sirius to the chair.

It was only then when he looked up into the Wizengamot did he realize how many people were truly confused. They were all looking curious as they looked from Lily to Sirius to Harry. Even Reeter Skeeter looked miffed that she didn't know what was going on.

"Weasley," Madam Bones suddenly said. "Check with the Records Department to see if Sirius Black received a trial. Also bring down the Aurors who have been tracking down Sirius Black and grab some of the Veriteserum that is meant only for trials."

"It shouldn't be necessary to check the Records Department," said Fudge quickly.

"Oh, I think it is," said Madam Bones who gave Percy a hard stare until he moved and left the court room.

While everyone waited there was a very long awkward pause. Sirius was whistling cheerfully to himself as if not chained to a chair, Dumbledore was humming, and Lily would let out the occasional giggle if Harry bounced her high enough on his knee.

Suddenly, Harry had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he felt suddenly cold. A chilling dread was filling him to his very core and he started to shake. He vaguely noticed he could see his breath.

"What – " started Madam Bones shakily.

The doors to the court room burst open and there was a man that had the appearance of a lion with two Dementors right behind him.

The Dementors immediately glided quickly over to Sirius as if he was prey.

"NO!" shouted Harry, as he could hear the faint scream of his mother protruding into his head. One of the Dementors looked at him and soon began getting closer very much like it had in the alley way…

Harry was ready for them as he thought of Lily and for her not to suffer, Ginny, James, Al, Sirius finally being free, the lives he was going to spare from reading the books; he put everything into it as he yelled: "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The stag immediately burst out of his wand and charged the Dementors as gasps erupted from the crowd.

A few seconds later, and the Dementors were gone. The stag approached Harry and started to circle him and glanced at Sirius before vanishing. Sirius' nor did Lupin's eyes leave the spot where the stag had vanished for several seconds.

Harry was panting and after a quick look at the stricken and, some amazed, crowd he tried to calm down Lily who was crying.

"What was the meaning of that, Scrimgour!?" shouted Madam Bones furiously.

Scrimgour who seemed to be a stubborn man was looking confused and shaken.

"He – He said Black was in the court room so – so I assumed – "

"That this was an execution?" said Madam Bones furiously.

"Well – I – "

Suddenly Tonks, Kinglsey, and several other witches and wizards came running into the room out of breath. Mr. Weasley was looking more flabbergasted than Harry had ever seen him and quickly ran to his wife to receive an update.

"We – we tried to stop him – " panted Tonks. "But – "

"It's taken care of, Tonks," said Madam Bones, as she continued to look at Scrimgour sternly.

Harry glanced at Sirius who was looking older than he had in a long time. He then looked at Fudge whose lips were white and stricken.

"H – H – Here is the file and V - Veriteserum," said Percy finally, his voice barely audible.

"Thank you, Weasley," said Madam Bones, who took the thin file and a black vial away from Percy as he went to go sit down looking very white.

As Madam Bones looked through the file that must be Sirius's file Harry looked again at him to see if he was alright now that Lily was much calmer.

"Thank you, Harry," said Sirius quietly.

Harry nodded and then wondered why no one else in the crowd had fired a Patronus, like Lupin or Dumbledore for instance.

"There's a protection charm around the Wizengamot," said Sirius quietly as if reading Harry's mind. "And I think Dumbledore just wanted to confirm that you could do a corporeal Patronus."

Harry nodded again.

"Scrimgour," said Madam Bones, still looking furious at the Head of the Aurors'. "You were the one to first catch Sirius Black?"

Scrimgour nodded.

"But, Scrimgour," said Madam Bones as she flipped through a very thin file, "I see no proof that for the duration of Black's time in Azkaban he was ever given a trial."

The silence was deafening in the court room.

"Well, Madam Bones," said Scrimgour looking nervous. "The evidence was very conclusive and there were over a dozen witnesses –"

"Was Sirius Black ever given a trial?" said Bones sternly.

"Madam Bones – "

"Scrimgour," said Bones threateningly. "If you're lying or withholding back information I swear I will – "

"He wasn't, Ma'am."

The response seemed to echo in the court room.

"Very well, then this trial shall commence."

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest. He looked at Ginny and saw her chewing on her lip and looking nervous. When she noticed he was looking at her she blew him a kiss that made his insides feel a little warmer in the cold courtroom.

"Kingsley!" said Madam Bones suddenly. "Would you please administer the accused Veriteserum and question the accused?"

Scrimgour's face suddenly contorted into suppressed rage. "Excuse me, Madam Bones, but I should be the one to – "

"Scrimgour you are in no place to question my judgement and decisions on this case and I am courteously requesting you sit on the bench meant for witnesses."

To Harry it seemed that it was Madam Bones presiding over this case instead of Fudge who looked utterly out of sorts.

Scrimgour's mouth opened and then closed looking displeased and eventually moved to sit awkwardly on the bench that was below the Wizengamot.

"Kingsley, would you mind - ?"

"No, Ma'am, Madam Bones," said Kingsley in his low voice with a twitch in his lips as he approached Madam Bones for the black vial.

Harry felt a brief moment of relief. If it was Kingsley asking the questions he would ask the right ones.

"And the questioner for your defense, Mr. Black, would be?" added Madam Bones promptly.

There was a moment of hesitation until Sirius cleared his throat and said clearly, "Alastor Moody,"

Muttering went through the Wizengamot just as said person entered the courtroom through the large doors. Mad-Eye's blue eye continued to whiz in his socket as it quickly observed every aspect and detail of the courtroom.

Madam Bones eye brows rose but she didn't comment on the choice.

"Please administer the Veriteserum, Kingsley," instructed Bones.

Kingsley nodded and walked over the Sirius.

Harry and Lily were the only ones to notice a very discreet wink in Sirius' direction from Kingsley.

"Would the accused open their mouth," said Kingsley's powerful voice.

Sirius easily obliged and soon his expression was one of a dreamy state or as Harry had seen Crouch Jr. this past summer.

"State your full name," said Kingsley.

"Sirius Orion Black," said Sirius immediately.

"Are you fully aware of what you are doing here today and why you are being tried?"

"Yes," said Sirius.

Kingsley exchanged a nod with Madam Bones and soon started to pace.

Harry realized this must be an unusual trial since most would have days to prepare for such a big event. He noticed that Madam Bones had whispered something urgently to Percy and he had quickly run to do whatever she had asked.

"Can you please account the events that took place November 1st 1981?"

Sirius' bland tone started to speak. "I had been searching most of England for Peter Pettigrew – "

"Why?"

'To kill him."

There was loud muttering that was not quiet until Madam Bones raised her wand. The muttering ceased.

"And did you find Peter Pettigrew?" prompted Kingsley.

"Yes, on a street in London."

"Then what happened," asked Kingsley.

"I cornered him and that's when he yelled at the top of his voice that I had betrayed Lily and James Potter. Before I could curse him he used a blasting charm with his wand that was behind his back that blew apart the street and created what was like a crater in the middle of it. The blast killed everyone within twenty feet of him and during the distraction he had cut off his forefinger and changed into his Animagi form leaving a heap of bloodstained robes."

"Stop," said Kingsley quietly.

There was a deafening silence in the Wizengamot. There was lots of skepticism in expressions even though they knew Sirius was administered Veriteserum.

"Finally," said Madam Bones as Percy and a witch with frizzy hair that resembled a librarian of some sort with a quill behind her ear and a bundle of files in her arms came through the door.

The frizzy witch sat directly behind Madam Bones while shuffling her papers.

Madam Bones muttered something to the witch behind her and she immediately produced a piece of parchment.

Madam Bones quickly scanned the list.

"Peter Pettigrew is not a registered Animagi," said Madam Bones curtly, and nodded at Kingsley.

"What is Peter Pettigrew's Animagi form?" asked Kingsley.

"A rat."

"When did he become an Animagi?"

"During his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcrat of Wizardry."

"Why?"

Moody suddenly cleared his throat. "Not a relevant question." He grumbled.

Kingsley glanced quickly at Madam Bones, and she reluctantly inclined her head.

There was a stunned silence. Though the story was unbelievable there were many of those in the Wizengamot that were looking increasingly more interested in the trial since most had assumed it would have passed with ease.

"What happened after Pettigrew had escaped?"

"I was arrested and brought directly to the Azkaban."

Harry noticed there were some uneasy people in the crowd still giving the fact he hadn't been tried.

"There were reports you had stood in the middle of the street laughing, why?"

"I had known I would eventually have my revenge and that Voldemort's followers would be searching for him."

There were a few gasps and shivers from the crowd with the name being said.

"What do You-Know-Who's followers have to do with Pettigrew?" asked Kingsley.

"Peter was a spy for Voldemort," said Sirius promptly. "I knew that the Death Eaters would blame Pettigrew for the death of their master since he was the one to tell them where the Potter's were hiding."

There was another heavy silence and Harry had to look down at his shoes as he played with Lily's hair absentmindedly. Why hadn't he allowed Sirius and Lupin to murder him? He deserved it.

Fudge suddenly cleared his throat. "Impossible. A Fidulus charm had been placed. You were named Secret Keeper and proof of that was given by Albus Dumbledore."

"Were you Secret Keeper for the Potters?" asked Kingsley.

"Yes, but it had been my idea to change the Secret Keeper. I knew Voldemort wouldn't expect Peter and would come after me first,"

There was quiet mutterings in the Wizengamot and Harry felt a little leap of hope as he saw that a few were starting to look undecided.

"One minute before the Veriteserum wears off," said Madam Bones softly. "Alastor."

Mad-Eye nodded gruffly, his eye still zooming over the room for attacks.

"Did you succeed in the attempt of murdering Peter Pettigrew?"

"No," said Sirius in what seemed to be a dreamy, but wistful voice.

"Do you know that he's still alive?"

"Yes."

"Is there anyone who witnessed Pettigrew being alive?"

"Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter."

Eyes all zoomed in on Harry who started to redden from the intensity.

"Did you have any type of affiliation with You-Know-Who?"

"No."

"That's it," grunted Moody before looking at Madam Bones.

Twenty seconds later Sirius was shaking his head and his expectant face scanned the crowd of the Wizengamot.

"Now, now," said Fudge, his confidence, Harry noticed, seemed to be restored. "If Black could surely escape from Azkaban what's it to say he could've easily tampered with this Veriteserum?"

More muttering broke out and Harry's heart sank as he saw many grimacing and nodding.

Harry looked at Sirius panicky, but Sirius gave him a smile, and was waiting patiently for his verdict.

Though Sirius tried to calm his God-Son down with comforting looks he had to hide his own disappointment. He wasn't going to walk out of here as a free man. He quickly reviewed his escape plan as he studied Fudge with barely contained contempt.

"Well," said Fudge lazily, and faintly smug. "If that's all the accused has to offer and with no qualifying witnesses…"

Tonks hair turned red and looked like she wanted to argue, but Kingsley had stepped on her foot.

Teddy had been at the edge of his seat through the whole trial and as he glanced behind him his fear that the vote wouldn't be unanimous strengthened. His backup plan that he had hoped he wouldn't have to use had to be put into action. Teddy knew this was his chance to do something rash, and he hoped it was the right decision.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to Teddy Lupin with the wild turquoise hair as he stood up and took his stand at the bottom of the floor. Tonks and Lupin were giving him the most intense stares.

"Please return to your seat," ordered Fudge

"I – I have evidence for the witness of defense."

"We don't have ti – "

"I think we have plenty Minister," said Bones coldly. "Given the circumstances that the accused was sent to twelve years in Azkaban without trial I think he is allowed to use all evidence for his case that he would like."

Fudge shifted in his seat, as he cheeks flamed along with quite a few witches and wizards in the Wizengamot.

"I suppose so." said Fudge unhappily. "What is your evidence in defense of the accused?"

Teddy hesitated before retrieving from his pocket a book that was awfully familiar to Harry. He didn't understand how the book had fit in such a small pocket, but he was sure there were extension charms for that. Harry could clearly see in gold lettering: _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

"A book?" said Fudge disbelievingly.

"Yes," said Teddy grimly. He turned to Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I hope it will be worth it in the end."

Harry reluctantly nodded and Sirius looked apologetically at him that Harry waved off as he tried to slow his breathing and nervousness.

"My name is Teddy Lupin, future son of Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin and God-Son of Harry Potter."

Everyone stared.

Many of the Aurors were giving the young bubble-gum pink witch bewildered looks making her blush.

Teddy promptly changed his hair from bubblegum pink back to his turquoise.

"Future son?" said Fudge weakly.

"I need permission from you Madam Bones and Minister for the following information to not be posted in the Daily Prophet or leave this room."

Many in the Wizengamot could not help but look curious and everyone turned to Reeter Skeeter whose quill had been frantically writing everything that has happened in the past hour. The quill stopped when Skeeter looked at everyone surprised and grumpily.

Madam Bones and Fudge started talking in quick whispers for a moment and finally pulled away with Bones looking determined and Fudge unhappy.

"We have discussed your request and have decided to grant it. Reeter Skeeter of the Daily Prophet is prohibited from posting or spreading information outside of this room and if she does not will be sent to Azkaban."

Reeter Skeeter looked thunderstruck. She had _never_ been banned from publishing her writing.

"The information heard will not leave this room and the punishment will be extreme to any Wizengamot jury divulging this information."

Many looked uneasy, but nodded.

Teddy cleared his throat and put on a determined façade.

"I am here in the past with permission from my time's Minister of Magic for specific reasons that I can not divulge, but I am here to change events of the future and this book is third of seven that will."

"And what is the book about?" asked Madam Bones curiously, her spectacles digging into the bridge of her nose.

"This is the life of Harry Potter in his third year at Hogwarts."

Everyone turned to stare at Harry making him awkwardly look somewhere else.

"And Potter's life in his third year will be helpful in Black's defense?" asked Madam Bones, looking quite bewildered.

"These books were taken directly from the future Harry Potter's mind with a very complex spell that has not been created in this time. These are the facts and it's as truthful as Veriteserum that hasn't been tampered with."

"Can we check for such things?"

Teddy nodded.

"Kingsley," stated Madam Bones, giving him a pointed look.

Kingsley took the book and pointed his wand at it and tapped it a few times for more than three minutes with a slight sheen of sweat from concentration of thinking of multiple spells. He finally shook his head and Bones looked satisfied with his judgment. Kingsley handed the book back to Teddy.

Harry looked at the book, his head tilted to the side. The book seemed to be a less thick than he had recalled, but by not by much. He cursed these books silently in his head.

"To get used to the reading will we start from the beginning instead of skipping to where the evidence for the defense is divulged." said Teddy calmly.

Many of the Wizengamot were looking uneasy with this new and sudden predicament that has happened.

"Before we start, Teddy," said Sirius with one of cheerfulness. "Can I request removal of these chains?"

"You can request it," said Teddy amused. "But I doubt it will be carried out."

Sirius let out a huff and Lily giggled.

If Harry looked close enough he could see a few witches in the back were trying to muffle their silent laughter.

"Can we begin?" said Fudge impatiently.

"Yes, Minister," said Teddy curtly. He flipped to the beginning of the book and with a flick of his wand changed the arm chair Harry and Lily sat in into a couch.

He cleared his throat and in a clear voice stated: "**Owl Post,**"

* * *

Thanks for reading!(:

You didn't think the trial would be that easy to clear, did you? ;)

I have to give credit where it is deserved so thank you to mbahgila21 for getting me out of my writers block when you reviewed back in the last chapter about reading the third book in the Wizengamot. Everything just clicked when you wrote that, so thank you!

Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews in the last chapter! (:

I had been planning to wait to post this, but it is Emma Watson's birthday so... I decided today would be perfect to update(:  
Next chapter may take a little bit, but I am 1/2 way done with it. Please be patient and I'll be really grateful!(:


	35. Chapter 35: Owl Post

"**Owl Post,**" read Teddy.

** Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard.**

A few of the Wizengamot were curious as to why Potter had to do it in secret, otherwise most were rather bored with the whole ordeal.

** It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (****_A History of Magic _****by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, 'Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless — discuss.'**

To Harry's amusement some of the witches and wizards that were part of the Wizengamot started getting into animated discussions about witch burnings.

"Quiet!" barked Fudge.

With a twitch of his lips Teddy continued to read:

**The quill paused at the top of a likely looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read: **

**_Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises._**

There were a few chuckles in the Wizengamot.

Lily giggled remembering her Aunt Hermione reading to her the most fascinating parts of Hogwarts: A History including Wendelin the Weird whenever her Daddy and Mommy had a late shift. Her Aunt volunteered to come over and watch her and her brothers almost once a week. Lily suddenly frowned. She had been doing that a lot more frequently these days.

**Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his inkbottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer.**

Sirius growled making a few of the Wizengamot startled.

"Sirius," said Harry quietly. "It doesn't happen anymore."

Sirius gritted his teeth, but didn't comment. He wished these chains weren't around his bloody wrists so he could sit with Harry.

**The Dursley family of Number Four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof. For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him.**

Many of the Wizengamot looked bewildered. Most of them thought that Harry was exaggerating; it would be a crime despite being Muggles to _squash_ any witch or wizard magic out of them. The consequences were too severe.

Harry whispered into Lily's ear, she looked at her father curiously, but nevertheless did. She climbed down carefully off Harry's lap and with determination climbed onto Sirius' lap.

The Wizengamot held their breath, expecting the worse, but Sirius merely kissed the top of her head and said: "Hello beautiful." before shooting her a wink. Lily giggled.

The Wizengamot held their surprise. Was Black really mad like they thought?

**To their fury, they had not been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spell books, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors. **

**This separation from his spell books had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night.**

**Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation. **

**Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call. **

**"Vernon Dursley speaking." **

**Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer. **

**"HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I — WANT — TO — TALK — TO — HARRY — POTTER!"**

There were a few shakes of heads from those in the Wizengamot, but understood because most wizards and witches didn't even know what a telephone was.

**Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. **

**"WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?" **

**"RON — WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. "I'M — A — FRIEND — OF — HARRY'S — FROM — SCHOOL —" **

**Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot. **

**"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!"**

A few people were starting to think this Muggle had gone mad.

**And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider. **

**The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever. **

**"HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE — PEOPLE LIKE ****_YOU_****!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit.**

"Why does it stop there if that was the worst fight ever?" asked Al curiously.

Sirius swiveled his head towards Harry who merely looked down at his shoes.

"Harry I swear – "

"I'm fine, Sirius," said Harry, giving his God-father a sad smile.

Sirius' hands started to shake and he had to grip them tight so he would stop.

A few members of the Wizengamot looked curious as they witnessed the scene between Harry Potter and Sirius Black. Even fewer than that paled as they caught on to what was being implied.

**Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts. **

**So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. There was just one very small improvement — after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time. **

**Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night… **

**He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, ****_A History of Magic_****, his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and check the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table. **

**It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour.**

"Happy Birthday, Dad!" cried Al and James, while the twins whistled between their fingers.

Harry grinned up at them, and almost everyone was confused.

**Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life.**

Many people in the Wizengamot raised their eyebrows, while Lupin and Sirius changed dark looks.

**The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one. **

**Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon — she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him. **

**Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been — stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

**Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents,**

"They told you your parents died in a car crash?" cried one witch in the back of the Wizengamot. "That's outrageous!"

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the Wizengamot.

**because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort**.

Gasps and cries of shock were heard from everywhere, and Teddy merely rolled his eyes.

Harry noticed with curiosity that the witch next to Fudge that looked like a toad had shifted slightly to whisper into Fudge's ear.

**Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled…**

"Can you say You-Know-Who?" said one man in the Wizengamot with irritation.

"That would be editing quite a lot of words," said Teddy with a smile.

**But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday.**

"There last meeting?" commented Madam Bones curiously. "What does that mean?"

Harry shook his head at him, but Teddy just rolled his eyes. "Harry had met Voldemort his first year at Hogwarts who had been on the back of a teacher's head and then in his second year Voldemort had preserved himself when he was younger in a diary and helped open the Chamber of Secrets."

Teddy flipped back to the right page, while everyone looked flabbergasted. Fudge opened his mouth quite a few times before permanently closing it.

"Harry got rid of him both times so no hard done," continued Teddy cheerfully as he found where he left off.

Harry's face reddened from the intensity of everyone's stares.

**He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing. **

**Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside.**

**Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft ****_flump _****on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs. **

**Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once — his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. **

**Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol. **

**Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night.**

It always fascinated Charlie how the same species of animal could have completely different personalities. Like his dragons. Charlie felt a slight twinge in his gut. He missed his dragons. He looked down at the small hand that was in his. What was going to happen when these books were all read and they finished saving the future? Would he go back to his dragons or stay here with _her? _He wanted her to come with him after she was done with Hogwarts, but that would be selfish. But as he imagined her with a different wizard than himself, the jealousy he felt was hard to contain.

**Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold and his first ever birthday card.**

Though many in the Wizengamot tried to hold it back, they couldn't help pitying the raven-haired teen.

**Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out — a letter and a newspaper clipping. **

**The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the ****_Daily Prophet_****, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read:**

**_MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE _**

**_Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. _**

**_A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank." _**

**_The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend._**

Mr. Weasley had an embarrassed, but proud expression on his face. The trip had been worth it.

The twins exchanged grins as they remembered all the pranks they had played on their brother, Percy, but as they looked at their older brother who was looking like pompous prat they couldn't help wonder if their brother would be different if they hadn't played so many tricks on him.

**Harry scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder **

Sirius and Harry exchanged a look.

**and his arm around his little sister, Ginny.**

Ginny held back a grimace. Despite everything that prat had done, she still loved him. It was like it was programmed in her blood to not hate him. He was her protector at school, maybe a little too protective when it came to boys, but she wished that her brother would approve of her and Harry.

**Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor.**

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley blushed and Harry felt extremely guilty for his thoughts.

"I'm – "

"Don't worry about it, dear," said Mrs. Weasley with a smile. She always liked that in Harry. His kindness was something that could be passed on more than often these days.

**He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it. **

**_Dear Harry, _**

**_Happy birthday! _**

**_Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. _**

**_It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. _**

**_I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year. _**

**Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds.**

"An event that should've been grounds for expulsion," commented Fudge off-handily.

Harry had to clench his jaw to stop himself from talking back.

**_We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there? _**

**_Don't let the Muggles get you down! _**

**_Try and come to London, _**

**_Ron _**

**_P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week. _**

Percy had to stop himself from looking smug.

**Harry glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun. **

**Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it. **

**_Harry — this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup._**

Bill, so quickly he cracked his neck, turned to look at the twins who were whistling quite loudly.

"Outrageous!" said Fred mockingly offended.

"We're too innocent to go to those extremes!" said George in the same way.

Not even those in the Wizengamot believed the twins.

Bill continued to glare, until he finally looked away muttering to himself on ways to getting those two pranksters back.

**_Bye — Ron _**

**Harry put the pocket Sneakascope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He looked happily at it for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had bought.**

**Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione. **

**_Dear Harry, _**

**_Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. _**

**_I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you — what if they'd opened it at customs? — but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world). Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous — the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating. _**

**_There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long — it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for._**

Even some of the Wizengamot were impressed for those who attended Hogwarts in their youth and had to sit through Professor Binns' class.

Hermione blushed and Charlie just chuckled quietly as he put an arm around her shoulders.

**_Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first! _**

**_Love from Hermione _**

**_P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it. _**

**Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells — but it wasn't. His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading ****_Broomstick Servicing Kit. _**

**"Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside.**

Harry grinned up at her as she grinned back. She was feeling pleased that he was happy about her gift.

Charlie pouted noticeably, which had Hermione rolling her eyes and elbowing him lightly in the side.

**There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a ****_Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare._**

**Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world — highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams.**

Charlie started to grumble under his breath.

"Guess we know who is better, don't we Charlie?" said the twins grinning manically.

Charlie gave the twins a swift glare.

"What year were you in?" asked a younger Wizard in the back, who looked a little embarrassed as his fellow collegues stared.

"My first year," said Harry, and he couldn't hold back a smile.

Though most tried to hide, those who liked the sport couldn't help but be impressed.

**One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. **

**Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly — as though it had jaws.**

Hermione and Harry exchanged a look that was between amused and exasperated as they thought of their friend, Hagrid.

**Harry poked the parcel nervously. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his head, ready to strike.**

Ginny suddenly started quietly laughing as she pictured what that would like in her head. Ginny whispered the image to James and Al who then started to silently laugh.

**Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled. And out fell — a book. Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title ****_The Monster Book of Monsters_****, before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab.**

**"Uh-oh," Harry muttered. **

**The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees and reached toward it. **

**"Ouch!" **

**The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door.**

Sirius' body unconsciously tightened.

**Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he buckled tightly around it. The Monster Book shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card. **

**_Dear Harry, _**

**_Happy Birthday! _**

**_Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you. Hope the Muggles are treating you right. _**

**_All the best, _**

**_Hagrid_**

**It struck Harry as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever.**

Ginny shook her head as she looked at her boyfriend/ husband sadly. Three present and three cards could brighten his day. She had never received that low amount of presents in her life because of her large family.

**Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left. **

**Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and read: **

**_Dear Mr. Potter, _**

**_Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. _**

**_Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. _**

**_A list of books for next year is enclosed. _**

**_Yours sincerely, _**

**_Professor M. McGonagall _**

**_Deputy Headmistress _**

**Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form?**

The twins and Harry exchanged grins thinking of the map.

Harry started to look slightly worried. He'd rather not have the entire Wizengamot and Minister of Magic find out about that.

"It's taken care of, Harry," whispered Teddy quickly into Harry's ear, before pretending to find where he left off.

Harry looked at Teddy curiously.

He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning.

**Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down; eyes open, facing his three birthday cards. **

**Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else — glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.**

Harry would almost beg to differ with that, since he believed his eleventh birthday was definitely a happy one. Harry smiled to himself as he remembered Hagrid barging into the shack, giving his cousin a pig tail, and telling him he was wizard. Not technically in that order.

"That's the end of the chapter," said Teddy cheerfully.

"And we learned ex

actly what from that?" said Fudge snidely.

"We are reading the beginning to get used to the reading, Minister," said Teddy. "The next chapter, I believe, is quite important."

Harry suddenly remembered about blowing up his aunt because of the comments she made against his parents. His mood quickly plummeted.

"**Aunt Marge's Big Mistake,**" read Teddy.

* * *

Thanks for reading!(:

Not an overly exciting chapter, but oh well.

Sorry about the wait! Just haven't gotten around to writing, no matter how much I wish I could just type on my laptop for hours writing.

Again, thanks for being patient… ish…. (;


	36. Chapter 36: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake

"**Aunt Marge's Big Mistake**," read Teddy.

Lily had a bad feeling about this chapter, and after whispering to Sirius that she'll be back, went to go sit on her father's lap. He gave her a questioning look, but she ignored it as she sucked her thumb.

**Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to find the three Dursleys already sitting around the kitchen table. They were watching a brand-new television, a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley, who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room. Dudley had spent most of the summer in the kitchen, his piggy little eyes fixed on the screen and his five chins wobbling as he ate continually.**

"Five chins?" Harry could hear some of the Wizengamot whispering to each other. "Is that even possible?" Harry couldn't stop himself from grinning.

**Harry sat down between Dudley and Uncle Vernon, a large, beefy man with very little neck and a lot of mustache. Far from wishing Harry a happy birthday, none of the Dursleys made any sign that they had noticed Harry enter the room, but Harry was far too used to this to care.**

Several people frowned.

**He helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reporter on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict.**

**"…the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."**

**"No need to tell us ****_he's _****no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"**

Almost everyone glanced at the now very well-groomed Sirius chained to the chair. Indeed his transformation in appearance was noticeable.

**He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon. Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle, Harry felt very well groomed indeed.**

Sirius let out his barking laugh and Harry cracked a grin.

**The reporter had reappeared.**

**"The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today —"**

**"Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!"**

**Aunt Petunia, who was bony and horse-faced, whipped around and peered intently out of the kitchen window. **

Harry thought his dreary street would be the last place the convict Sirius Black would turn up. But as he remembered when running away from the Dursleys that night, he _was _there in his animagus form.

**Harry knew Aunt Petunia would simply love to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors.**

**"When will they ****_learn_****," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?"**

A few disgusted looks were exchanged among the Wizengamot but Harry discreetly noticed that the toad-faced woman in the shadows seemed to be nodding her head making Harry feel uneasy.

**"Very true," said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner-beans. **

**Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten."**

**Harry, whose thoughts had been upstairs with the Broomstick Servicing Kit, was brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump.**

**"Aunt Marge?" he blurted out. "Sh-****_she's_****not coming here, is she?"**

Sirius side-glanced at Harry curiously.

**Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), he had been forced to call her 'Aunt' all his life. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's mind.**

Sirius was starting to frown and exchanged an uneasy look with Remus.

**At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues.**

There were a few horrified gasps in the courtroom, and to spare his god-father's embarrassment, Teddy decided to keep plowing ahead with the reading.

** A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Harry. On her last visit, the year before Harry started at Hogwarts, Harry had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog. Ripper had chased Harry out into the garden and up a tree, and Aunt Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight. The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to Dudley's eyes.**

Fury was burning in Sirius' and Lupin's eyes.

"Harry – " started Sirius.

"Drop it, Sirius," said Harry tiredly. The latest event of being chased up a tree was still fresh in Harry's head as he remembered experiencing that moment during his Occlumency lesson.

Almost everyone in the Wizengamot was exchanging bewildered looks.

Hermione now felt slightly guilty that she had berated Harry for blowing up his aunt all those years ago.

**"Marge'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject," he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry, "we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."**

**Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching Harry being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment.**

Sirius wished that this Dudley had been in the house when he had paid a visit to the Dursleys.

**"Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge."**

**"All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me."**

**"Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your ****_abnormality_****,**

"Abnormality?" cried one witch in the back of the Wizengamot. "It's a gift!"

There was a murmur of agreement.

**I don't want any — any ****_funny _****stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?"**

**"I will if she does," said Harry through gritted teeth.**

**"And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys."**

"What!" cried Sirius, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Charlie, Bill, the twins, and almost everyone else in the Wizengamot except for Madam Bones, Fudge, Percy, the toad-faced woman, and few other elder members of the Wizengamot. A few members of the Wizengamot were now questioning if Harry Potter's home life.

**_"What?" _****Harry yelled.**

**"And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble," spat Uncle Vernon.**

**Harry sat there, white-faced and furious, staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a weeklong visit — it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given him, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

"He had given you socks for your birthday?" asked James bewildered. He had always received from his father loads of gifts for birthday's and almost every holiday. He now knew why and immediately felt spoiled.

"Didn't Dumbledore tell you he wanted socks for his birthday?" asked Al, with a small smile.

"Indeed I had," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye, but no one could have known the inner turmoil churning deep inside the wizard's chest as he remember what he had really saw in the Mirror of Erisad all those years ago… Arianna, his sister, young, healthy, and _alive_ with her smile that could brighten a whole room as soon as it appeared, is what he truly remembered seeing.

How he wished he could quench his thirst for finding the stone, those Deathly Hallows! But power was dangerous; Cornelius was a prime example of that and even he! Death was the only outcome from power. Like his sister. Like his brother who was as good as dead for he hadn't talked to Aberforth since the funeral.

Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth as he tried to shake away his troublesome thoughts. It was no good to ponder the past for that could not change, but the future, and what he could do for the greater good.

**"Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?" **

**"No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had finished threatening Harry.**

**"Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie," said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley's thick blond hair. "Mummy's bought him a lovely new bow-tie."**

"Smart?" whispered Hermione to Ginny slightly outraged.

Ginny chuckled.

**Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder.**

**"See you in a bit, then," he said, and he left the kitchen.**

**Harry, who had been sitting in a kind of horrified trance, had a sudden idea. Abandoning his toast, he got quickly to his feet and followed Uncle Vernon to the front door.**

**Uncle Vernon was pulling on his car coat.**

**"I'm not taking ****_you_****," he snarled as he turned to see Harry watching him.**

**"Like I wanted to come," said Harry coldly. "I want to ask you something."**

"Disrespectfulness for authority," commented Fudge under his breath, but just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Harry glared at the floor so he wouldn't at the Minister.

"It's not like his Uncle is any better," muttered Amelia Bones under her breath.

**Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously.**

**"Third years at Hog — at my school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry.**

**"So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, taking his car keys from a hook next to the door.**

**"I need you to sign the permission form," said Harry in a rush.**

**"And why should I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon.**

**"Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits…"**

A slow smile was starting to form on Sirius and the twin's faces as they realized what Harry was doing.

**"St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, and Harry was pleased to hear a definite note of panic in Uncle Vernon's voice.**

"Pleased to hear panic?" commented Rita Skeeter, which she must have meant to say in her head since she immediately looked embarrassed as everyone turned to look at her.

Harry scowled at the floor.

**"Exactly," said Harry, looking calmly up into Uncle Vernon's large, purple face. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?"**

**_"You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" _****roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised.**

Everyone gasped.

Harry looked away from the stares. It was a normal occurrence to be threatened with fists, but he had really wanted to go to the village and he had had to take the risk.

**But Harry stood his ground.**

Harry told himself he needed to do that more often.

**"Knocking the stuffing out of me won't make Aunt Marge forget what I could tell her," he said grimly.**

**Uncle Vernon stopped, his fist still raised, his face an ugly puce.**

**"But if you sign my permission form," Harry went on quickly, "I swear I'll remember where I'm supposed to go to school, and I'll act like a Mug — like I'm normal and everything."**

"All that to get a permission form signed?" muttered Madam Bones to herself in disbelief.

**Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon was thinking it over, even if his teeth were bared and a vein was throbbing in his temple.**

**"Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your behavior carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form."**

**He wheeled around, pulled open the front door, and slammed it so hard that one of the little panes of glass at the top fell out.**

Sirius was now starting to wonder if he should be making monthly visits to the Dursleys.

**Harry didn't return to the kitchen. He went back upstairs to his bedroom. If he was going to act like a real Muggle, he'd better start now. Slowly and sadly he gathered up all his presents and his birthday cards and hid them under the loose floorboard with his homework.**

Hermione's grip on Charlie's hand tightened, and he sent her a questioning look.

"He has to actually hide his homework! That's just so wrong!" she said in a loud whisper.

Charlie couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

It was Hermione's turn to look at him questioning, but he only shook his head with a slight smile gracing his lips and put an arm around her shoulders.

**Then he went to Hedwig's cage. Errol seemed to have recovered; he and Hedwig were both asleep, heads under their wings. Harry sighed, then poked them both awake.**

**"Hedwig," he said gloomily, "you're going to have to clear off for a week. Go with Errol. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that" — Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful —**

Charlie smiled

**"it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione."**

Harry frowned as he realized with a jolt Ron wasn't here in the courtroom. Where was he? Spending time with Malfoy? Doubtful. He continued to frown as he wondered if Ron was truly so mad that he wouldn't even come to his Hearing.

He knew why Malfoy and Narcissa weren't here. It would seem rather suspicious for the supposed "enemies" of Harry Potter to be sitting with his friends and family. Well, he supposed they were still his enemies… to a degree. But he truly didn't despise Malfoy. He could stay in a room with him, without wanting to cause harm, was already proven.

It would also be unwise because of Lucius. Harry tensed up at the thought of Lucius. Would the future Lucius talk to his past self? Perhaps even talk to Voldemort? Fear wrapped around Harry in a vice at the thought, and panic was bubbling up inside him. He glanced down at Lily who was on his lap sucking her thumb. Who brought James, Al, and Lily here? Wasn't that unwise? Even for Teddy to be here? He remembered back to his Hearing when Lily had greeted him and called him "Daddy". He _shouldn't_ have smiled; he should have made them go back to the Room of Requirement! How was he going to protect them?

"Harry, are you alright?" Sirius murmured under his breath. He had noticed Harry was starting to become twitchy and his eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Fine," said Harry curtly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but Harry remained silent.

**Ten minutes later, Errol and Hedwig (who had a note to Ron bound to her leg) soared out of the window and out of sight. Harry, now feeling thoroughly miserable, put the empty cage away inside the wardrobe.**

**But Harry didn't have long to brood. In next to no time, Aunt Petunia was shrieking up the stairs for Harry to come down and get ready to welcome their guest.**

**"Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he reached the hall.**

"It's no use with the Potter hair," sighed Fred.

"We have tried everything," said George in mock defeat.

Harry remained stoic, but a few people couldn't help but chuckle and try to turn it into coughs.

Sirius was now seriously worried about his God-son.

**Harry couldn't see the point of trying to make his hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be.**

Sirius was starting to get a bad feeling about this _Aunt Marge._ She surely couldn't be worse than the Dursleys…

**All too soon, there was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path.**

**"Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry.**

**A feeling of great gloom in his stomach,**

"Harry has his own navigational pull when it comes to Nargles," whispered Luna to Neville in a matter-a-fact tone. "That's why he's always very emotional."

Neville snorted, which made several members of the Wizengamot look at him, making the young wizard blush a beet red.

"He doesn't believe me," said Luna to herself in a wistful tone.

Neville eyes widened, never having heard Luna care if people believed what she said or not.

"Of c – c course I believe you, Luna," said Neville under his breath, surprise apparent in his tone.

Luna sent him a look that said that she clearly did not believe him.

"I'm sorry," whispered Neville, his cheeks as red as ever. He was sincere in his apology, and he couldn't believe that he may have actually offended his Luna.

Neville was too busy looking at his shoes to notice Luna looking at him with surprise having heard his apology.

Luna squeezed his hand as a sign in forgiveness before letting go, but Neville, his eyes wide, couldn't stop looking at Luna as the electricity in his hand did not go away for several minutes.

Ginny, who had noticed all of the exchanges between Neville and Luna, had to cover her rather large grin with her hands.

**Harry pulled the door open.**

**On the threshold stood Aunt Marge. She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple-faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his.**

Al and Lily laughed.

**In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog**

**"Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffy poo?"**

"Neffy poo?" questioned James to Ginny. "She's got to be nutters!"

Ginny laughed.

**Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins. Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him,**

Harry discreetly grabbed his stomach. Sirius, on the other hand, noticed for he was keeping a close eye on his God-Son.

**seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek.**

**Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it, and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist.**

Mrs. Weasley was starting to grumble to herself that that was not the way to raise a child with the incentive of bribery.

**"Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry as though he was a hat-stand. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunias bony cheekbone.**

**Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door.**

**"Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?"**

**"Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the hall with the suitcase. But Harry wasn't complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by him, so he began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as he could.**

**By the time he got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Harry saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals.**

Charlie looked offended.

**"Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked. **

**"Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me."**

**Ripper began to growl again as Harry sat down. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to Harry for the first time.**

**"So!" she barked. "Still here, are you?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

Sirius was beginning to feel edgy.

**"Don't you say 'yes' in that ungrateful tone," Aunt Marge growled. "It's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on ****_my _****doorstep."**

A few people raised their eyebrows at the hostility.

**Harry was bursting to say that he'd rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys, but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped him.**

This caught a few people off guard, even some of Harry's friends.

Sirius immediately understood why, and it saddened him a lot.

**He forced his face into a painful smile.**

**"Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge. "I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you."**

Mrs. Weasley had to disagree. Harry may not always have tact, and from what she's witnessed can have a temper, but he was the most well-mannered young man she could've met. Even at a young age when he had asked her how to get to the train. Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed at the book. She didn't believe in harm to Muggles, they didn't know better is what she reckoned, but she wouldn't mind showing this woman a piece of her mind.

**She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send him, again, Vernon?"**

**"St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases."**

**"I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table.**

**"Er —"**

**Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back.**

**"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "All the time."**

**"Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have ****_you _****been beaten often?"**

Many members of the Wizengamot looked disgusted with this Aunt Marge.

Lupin and Sirius scowled at the book.

**"Oh, yeah," said Harry, "loads of times."**

**Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes.**

**"I still don't like your tone, boy," she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case."**

Harry wasn't certain, but he had an odd feeling that the toad-faced woman, Umbridge, was smiling. It made his insides a bit queezy.

**Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Harry might forget their bargain; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly.**

**"Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?"**

"Glad I could be of use to you, Harry, as a conversation starter" said Sirius sarcastically.

Harry allowed himself a grin.

**As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry caught himself thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged Harry to stay out of their way, which Harry was only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted Harry under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for his improvement. She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at Harry, as though daring him to ask why he hadn't got a present too. She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made Harry such an unsatisfactory person.**

Teddy was starting to feel a bit warm, as if he could feel the glares protruding right through him.

**"You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the ****_inside_****, there's nothing anyone can do about it."**

"Harry is the exact opposite of that!" shouted Ginny outraged, making several of the Wizengamot members jump. Hermione and Bill each put a hand on her shoulder to calm the young fiery witch down.

Harry gave her a sad smile. He knew it only got worse.

**Harry tried to concentrate on his food, but his hands shook and his face was starting to burn with anger. ****_Remember the form, _****he told himself. ****_Think about Hogsmeade. Don't say anything. Don't rise —_**

**Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine.**

**"It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup —"**

Harry had to tighten his whole body as he started to shake from anger, and he belatedly noticed several people and even some of the Wizengamot were looking thoroughly offended and glared at the book with loathing.

"That bitch!" shouted Ginny, Sirius, and Tonks.

"Ginny!" reprimanded Mrs. Weasley surprised, but for probably the first time, Mrs. Weasley agreed with the word being used in this circumstance.

"Sirius," said Harry quickly. "It's okay,"

"It's the complete opposite of that, Harry!" said Sirius in outrage, but at the same time, tried to control his anger. How could someone say that about Harry, about his fiery friend Lily? It was a complete scandal!

Kingsley, in his low calming voice, was calming the young Auror, Tonks, as her hair had changed to a neon red.

Teddy had to take a few calming breaths before he could continue reading.

**At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping.**

**"Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?"**

**"Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip…"**

**But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry suspiciously, so he decided he'd better skip dessert and escape from the table as soon as he could.**

**Outside in the hall, he leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since he'd lost control and made something explode. He couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake — if he carried on like that, he'd be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic.**

**Harry was still an underage wizard, and he was forbidden by wizard law to do magic outside school. His record wasn't exactly clean either. Only last summer he'd gotten an official warning that had stated quite clearly that if the Ministry got wind of any more magic in Privet Drive, Harry would face expulsion from Hogwarts.**

"Proving that Mr. Potter was fully aware of the consequences!" commented Fudge non to kindly.

Fudge looked around with a sly smile as if sharing a private joke, but no one looked remotely amused.

**He heard the Dursleys leaving the table and hurried upstairs out of the way.**

**Harry got through the next three days by forcing himself to think about his ****_Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare _****whenever Aunt Marge started on him. This worked quite well, though it seemed to give him a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that he was mentally subnormal.**

"It's alright, Harry!" said George with a broad grin.

"Everyone is a bit mental in their own way," said Fred, before spacing out as if in a trance.

Harry rolled his eyes, a smile ghosting his lips at the Weasley twin's attempt at humor.

**At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived. Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of Harry's faults; during the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them a with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company; then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy.**

**"Can I tempt you, Marge?"**

**Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red.**

**"Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that…and a bit more…that's the ticket."**

**Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out.**

**"Aah," said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after…" She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach.**

**"Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon…"**

**"Now, this one here —"**

**She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench. ****_The Handbook_****, he thought quickly.**

Sirius was beginning to have a bad feeling about this part.

**"This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Underbred."**

Charlie, along with many others, looked horrified.

**Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: ****_A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers._**

**"It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" — she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us."**

Harry was starting to shake along with Lupin and Sirius. Teddy's voice was now laced with anger.

**Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. ****_Grasp your broom firmly by the tail_****, he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills.**

Sirius shot a sharp look at his God-son hoping with all his might that it was just a metaphor and not past experiences.

**"This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"**

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents.**

**"He — didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry. "Unemployed."**

**"As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who —"**

Sirius was shaking so bad that the chains around his wrist were starting to clink together like a rattlesnake ready to attack.

If anyone looked closely enough at Lupin they would see the shadow of the werewolf that was buried deep inside. Lupin was taking deep breaths as he attempted to calm himself down. He knew the full moon was fast approaching and it had to be one of the reasons why his emotions were getting the best of him.

**"He was not," said Harry suddenly. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over. He had never felt so angry in his life.**

"Oh, Harry," murmured Hermione as she clenched Charlie's arm painfully.

**"MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white. He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, boy," he snarled at Harry. "Go to bed, go on —"**

**"No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry's. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect) —"**

"A car crash!?" shouted a few members of the Wizengamot in outrage at the reminder that these Muggles thought that the Potters had died from such an outrageous Muggle way.

"Ow, Daddy," said Lily, and the hands that were around her small waist immediately loosened their grip.

Harry looked extremely guilty as he realized he must have been squeezing her too tightly while he had been trying to control his anger.

"Sorry, Lily," said Harry apologetically.

Lily turned around, her green eyes so familiar to his, looked him straight in the eyes. "It's okay, Daddy."

Harry blinked away the sudden moisture that had come to his eyes as he hugged his daughter to him.

"What a bitch," said James, though he had not known his grandparents he knew from what others told him that they were the kindest and wittiest people.

"James!" said Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny exchanged quick sad smiles.

"That is an example of double standards," muttered Al with a small smile.

Ginny glared at her youngest son, but her lips were twitching constantly since she knew it was true.

**"They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet.**

**"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little —"**

**But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger — but the swelling didn't stop. Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech — next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls — she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami…**

Amelia Bones immediately understood why Potter had done accidental magic. Any witch or wizard in his place would've done the same thing. All she could feel was sympathy for the young teen, and to her surprise, no remorse for the Aunt Marge.

**"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly.**

The twins suddenly glanced at each other and began to whisper to each other (so there mother wouldn't hear) how they could make that happen with just a piece of candy.

**"NOOOOOOO!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg.**

Sirius smirked.

**Harry tore from the dining room before anyone could stop him, heading for the cupboard under the stairs. The cupboard door burst magically open as he reached it. In seconds, he had heaved his trunk to the front door. He sprinted upstairs and threw himself under the bed, wrenching up the loose floorboard, and grabbed the pillowcase full of his books and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage, and dashed back downstairs to his trunk, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters.**

**"COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"**

**But a reckless rage had come over Harry. He kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon.**

**"She deserved it," Harry said, breathing very fast. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me."**

Fudge looked mockingly surprised and horrified as he turned around to his colleagues, but to the Minister's surprise he saw a few of them nodding in agreement to what was just read.

**He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door.**

**"I'm going," Harry said. "I've had enough."**

**And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm.**

"And that's the end of the chapter," said Teddy, feeling not as cheery as he was before the start of the book.

"Would you care to read Ms. Amelia Bones?" asked Teddy, with a sly smile to himself as he caught Sirius perk up at the word "Ms".

Madam Bones looked down at the young turquoise man with a look of surprise before she nodded, and he went up to the stands to give the book to her.

She cleared her throat and in a strong, confident voice she stated: "**The Knight Bus**".

* * *

Omigosh I'm so sorry about the wait! I can't believe its been two months! *hides behind non-destructible wall*

I could make a bunch of excuses, but I'll cut the paragraph short and just say that I'm so truly sorry!

A few people have inquired about taking my story and changing a few things to make it their own. The problem is, is that I'm really protective of this story. I'm sure those that have fanfic's and stories understand. I mean, this is my baby! lol

Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! I have the biggest grin on my face whenever I reread them!(:

Thank you everyone for sticking with this story, and I hope to update as soon as possible.

Because I'm feeling extremely guilty about the long wait I'll spill something small about what's to come if anyone hasn't guessed it yet... well... just keep an eye out for future Lucius and Umbridge... they might be planning something for the future readings... (;

***if there is any grammar mistakes I apologize in advance! Oh! I'm also SO SORRY for the "Reeter" mishap! I was so embarrassed!  
Again, sorry!


	37. Chapter 37: The Knight Bus

Ron Weasley had his back against the wall, his breathing shallow; he gripped the book "_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"_ he had in his hands tightly.

Why Blaise needed to copy the books he didn't know since they wouldn't be able to open it until they were done with the previous book anyway. He didn't understand how Blaise could use magic, but he told him that he had overheard a conversation with Teddy telling Harry that the Meeting Room allowed magic. The prat, his supposed best friend, kept that a secret.

He was hiding as a precaution on his way to return the book back to the pile of the other books and grab the fifth one. He had heard Narcissa and Malfoy talking quietly in the reading room, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. When they had finally moved to a different room he crept quietly to where the stack of books lay.

"And what are you up to, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron's back stiffened, and he spun around as he heard the familiar voice of Professor Snape.

He quickly set the book down on the pile before turning slowly to face his least favorite professor.

"N – Nothing," he stuttered finally, his ears becoming hot.

Ron carefully watched Snape's cold, beetle black eyes as he slowly edged out of the room.

As soon as was in the kitchen he quickly tried to calm down his panic. Snape wasn't suspicious, right? I mean, he thought he and Harry were best friends.

He was disappointed that he hadn't been able to pick up another book, and he kicked himself for not making up a wild, passable excuse to grab it.

He glanced back in the reading room to see, by some lucky chance, if Snape had left.

Disappointment flooded him again when he saw Snape sitting on the couch with his back to him across from the books looking at some papers.

He crept quietly back to the Meeting Room.

"Where's the fifth book?" inquired Blaise angrily when he snuck back inside.

"Snape was there," he managed to explain.

Blaise looked to be fuming before he shook his head. "We'll grab it later. We have plenty of time, I supposed."

"You still haven't explained what you're going to do with the fourth book," accused Ron, as he narrowed his eyes at the Slytherin.

"You want to embarrass Potter, right? And make him suffer?" asked Blaise, ignoring his question.

Ron nodded, his jaw clenched. He would rather Charlie suffered than Harry, but it was still another outlet.

"Then don't worry about it,' said Blaise curtly, sitting down with the copied version of _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ on his lap as he closed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb clenching the bridge of his nose.

Ron sighed and sat down in a chair that was on the opposite side of the table as he waited to hear about more plans to visit the Ministry of Magic and talk to some woman named Umbridge.

Snape was very worried as he pretended to be going over some notes for his classes for the approaching term. He had glanced at the book that Weasley had placed back, which was the _Goblet of Fire_. He had to assume since Weasley was putting it back that he or even the future Lucius (who must be giving out orders) had made a copy of the book. What they planned to do with the book he had no idea, but he could only be thankful he had gotten back before they had taken a book about the future.

"**The Knight Bus**," read Madam Bones.

**Harry was several streets away before he collapsed onto a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging his trunk. He sat quite still, anger still surging through him, listening to the frantic thumping of his heart.**

**But after ten minutes alone in the dark street, a new emotion overtook him: panic. Whichever way he looked at it, he had never been in a worse fix. He was stranded, quite alone, in the dark Muggle world, with absolutely nowhere to go. And the worst of it was, he had just done serious magic, which meant that he was almost certainly expelled from Hogwarts. He had broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly, he was surprised Ministry of Magic representatives weren't swooping down on him where he sat.**

Madam Bones hid her surprise. Was Potter always thinking this pessimistically?

**Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent.**

**What, was going to happen to him? Would he be arrested, or would he simply be outlawed from the wizarding world? He thought of Ron and Hermione, and his heart sank even lower. Harry was sure that, criminal or not, Ron and Hermione would want to help him now,**

Hermione nodded to herself. Of course she would help him! She then, grudgingly, thought of Ron.

Despite of all the harsh and over-bound comments Ron had made, she couldn't help but still care about his well-being. If Ron was in any sort of trouble she would help. She remembered her first year at Hogwarts when they went through the trapdoor and went through all those obstacles, and Ron had risked his life on McGonagall's chessboard. He hadn't put himself first; he had known getting the stone was more important. She had been shocked, and thought him to be almost as brave as Harry. After Harry had gone to go get the stone, she had returned to Ron whom had still been knocked out. She had cautiously held his hand, and couldn't get over the fact how smooth and comforting it was.

She mentally shook herself. She needed to stop reminiscing in the past. Ronald had made his choice, and her attraction to the tall, red head currently holding her hand gave her more of a thrill with each touch than anyone else in her wildest dreams.

Hermione squeezed Charlie's hand, and her stomach automatically filled with imaginary butterflies with the adoring look Charlie gave her as he kissed her lightly on the lips. She let out a soft sigh. No, she had made the right decision in choosing Charlie.

** but they were both abroad, and with Hedwig gone, he had no means of contacting them.**

Harry braced himself as he remembered having thoughts about living as a criminal outcast. What would the Wizengamot think? Would they laugh at his foolishness or question his mental stability? Or even believe he _was _dangerous?

**A funny prickling on the back of his neck had made Harry feel he was being watched, but the street appeared to be deserted, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses.**

Harry glanced at Teddy curiously. What was he doing? He glanced at the wording in the book, and to his surprise did not see a paragraph about his embarrassing thoughts.

Teddy was smirking as he noticed a rather confused Harry. He would have to explain after the chapter when he would declare a break from the reading.

**He bent over his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, his hand clenched on his wand. He had sensed rather than heard it: someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind him. Harry squinted at the black alleyway. If only it would move, then he'd know whether it was just a stray cat or – something else.**

** "****_Lumos,_****" Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand, almost dazzling him. He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes.**

There was a quiet collective gasp as others wondered what it was.

It took all of Sirius' will power not to smirk or laugh. He had wanted to visit Harry before heading North; just wanting to see a glimpse of the now grown up little boy that would ride his toy broomstick and nearly kill the cat… was it Nora, they had called it? James had thought it amusing to call it that so it would sound close to Filch's Mrs. Norris.

Seeing the familiar messy black hair and gleaming, distinct green eyes had saddened him at the time, but now it was a thrill that James and Lily now lived on in their son.

**Harry stepped backward. His legs hit his trunk and he tripped. His wand flew out of his hand as he flung out an arm to break his fall, and he landed, hard, in the gutter.**

**There was a deafening BANG, and Harry threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light…**

**With a yell, he rolled back onto the pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying. They belonged, as Harry saw when he raised his head, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled ****_The Knight Bus_****. **

**For a split second, Harry wondered if he had been knocked silly by his by his fall. Then a conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night. **

**"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve—" **

**The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Harry, who was still sitting on the ground. Harry snatched up his wand again and scrambled to his feet. Close up, he saw that Stan Shunpike was only a few years older than he was, eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples. **

Harry remembered at the Quidditch World Cup when Stan had been bragging to a group of Veela that he was becoming the youngest Minister of Magic.

**"What were you doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.**

**"Fell over," said Harry.**

**"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan.**

**"I didn't do it on purpose," said Harry, annoyed. One of the knees in his jeans was torn, and the hand he had thrown out to break his fall was bleeding.**

Sirius had to hide his guilt.

**He suddenly remembered why he had fallen over and turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and fence. The Knight Bus's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty.**

**"'Choo lookin' at?" said Stan.**

**There was a big black thing," said Harry, pointing uncertainly into the gap. "Like a dog… but massive…"**

"The Grim?" suggested a younger witch in the back, who then blushed from all the looks she was receiving by several elder members of the Wizengamot.

**He looked around at Stan, whose mouth was slightly open. With a feeling of unease, Harry saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on Harry's forehead.**

**"Woss that on your 'ead?" said Stan abruptly.**

**"Nothing," said Harry quickly, flattening his hair over his scar. If the Ministry of Magic was looking for him, he didn't want to make it too easy for them.**

Harry blushed as a few members of the Wizengamot snorted.

**"Woss your name?" Stan persisted.**

**"Neville Longbottom," said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head.**

Nearly everyone who knew Neville turned to look him, making the young wizard turn bright red.

Harry gave his friend an apologetic look, but Neville just waved it off with a small smile.

**"So — so this bus," he went on quickly, hoping to distract Stan, "did you say it goes ****_anywhere_****?"**

**"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, 'long it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater.**

**"Ere," he said, looking suspicious again, "you ****_did _****flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"**

**"Yes," said Harry quickly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"**

**"Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."**

**Harry rummaged once more in his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some gold into Stan's hand. He and Stan then lifted his trunk, with Hedwig's cage balanced on top, up the steps of the bus.**

Though no expressions were giving anything away, Harry was feeling hot in the face from casually spending money without worrying how much anything was.

He could see why Ron, though hid it well, was jealous that he could spend money so casually.

**There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep.**

Lily giggled.

**"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern."**

**Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry, who nervously flattened his bangs again and sat down on his bed.**

It surprised a few members of the Wizengamot that he hiding whom he was, but they supposed he was trying to hide from the Ministry of Magic so flaunting your fame wouldn't be the best idea.

**"Take'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.**

**There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment.**

Many of those in the court room were reminiscing about their first time on the Knight Bus. It wasn't something someone just forgot.

** "This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"**

**"Ar," said Ernie.**

**"How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.**

**"Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. **

**Never notice nuffink, they don'."**

**"Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," said Ern. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute."**

**Stan passed Harry's bed and disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous. Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed. **

"It's magic, Daddy," said Lily brightly, as her eyes gleamed with excitement.

Harry and Sirius chuckled. Though Harry had to hide the stress in his laugh at the thought that it could get out he had a children from the future in the present, which could lead back to Lucius… he held his daughter closer to him.

**Stan came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a traveling cloak.**

**"'Ere you go, Madam Marsh," said Stan happily as Ern stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus. Madam Marsh clamped a handkerchief to her mouth and tottered down the steps. Stan threw her bag out after her and rammed the doors shut; there was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way.**

**Harry wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he had been traveling on a bus that didn't keep banging loudly and jumping a hundred miles at a time. His stomach churned as he fell back to wondering what was going to happen to him, and whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling yet.**

**Stan had unfurled a copy of the ****_Daily Prophet _****and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. He looked strangely familiar.**

Sirius let out a quiet dark chuckle. He remembered looking into the mirror for the first time after his escape. He knew Azkaban would change him physically in appearance, but he hadn't expected to actually look like a criminal and that unkempt.

**"That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the Muggle news!" **

**Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled.**

**"Sirius Black," he said, nodding. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville. Where you been?"**

**He gave a superior sort of chuckle at the blank look on Harry's face, removed the front page, and handed it to Harry. **

**"You oughta read the papers more, Neville."**

**Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read:**

**_BLACK STILL AT LARGE_**

**_Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today._**

**_"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."_**

**_Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis._**

**_"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?"_**

Harry could tell there were a few contridiction's with that decision by the Wizengamot's faces, but even Harry had to agree with Fudge's choice. And what Muggle would actually believe the Prime Minister anyway?

**_While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse._**

Sirius grimaced.

**Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.**

Sirius laughed his barking laugh, and Harry grinned at his younger self's thoughts.

**"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching Harry read.**

**"He murdered ****_thirteen people_****?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, with ****_one curse_****?"**

**"Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"**

Sirius rolled his eyes. He would never kill anyone with witnesses, and in broad daylight along with it. How stupid could one be? He had tracked Peter down and had demanded answers. He had been trying to back Peter into an alley way, but the rat had had a backup plan.

**"Ar," said Ern darkly. **

**Stan swiveled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at Harry.**

**"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.**

**"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking.**

"Why do you say his name?" asked Amelia without thinking.

"Fear of the name only increases the fear of the thing itself," quoted Harry, with a glance at Dumbledore who had quickly looked away with a smile on his face.

Amelia looked surprised, and others dumbfounded.

Madam Bones continued to ponder what Potter had just said as she continued to read.

**Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus.**

**"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?"**

**"Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I — I forgot —"**

**"Forgot!" said Stan weakly. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast…"**

**"So – so Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Harry prompted apologetically.**

** "Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say…anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo" — Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again — "all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over.**

Sirius snorted loudly, making many look at him with surprise.

**"Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper. "What?" said Harry.**

**"Laughed," said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?"**

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, I'm off my rocker." And he winked at Lily who giggled.

**"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you…after what he did…"**

**"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened, Ern?"**

**"Gas explosion," grunted Ernie.**

Hermione sighed. What other events in her Muggle history book had been actually a cover up because of the Wizarding World? It was mind-boggling to even think about it.

**"An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again.**

**"Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?" **

**Ernie suddenly shivered. "Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles."**

"How _did _you escape Azkaban?" asked a member of the Wizengamot curiously.

All eyes were on Sirius who was shifting in the chair where he sat chained. He didn't want to give away his Animagus form in case this whole trial led to his conviction and he needed a way to escape. He also couldn't say in a jokingly manner that it wasn't illegally, because he wasn't a registered Animagus. He decided to go with a half-truth.

"I was pretty skinny," commented Sirius. "I could've squeezed through the bars easily. Probably should feed your prisoners just enough so they can't escape,"

Well, he _was_ skinny enough to squeeze through the bars when he was imprisoned at Hogwarts

He knew that no one was convinced given the bewildered expressions on the Wizengamot faces and was thankful that reading continued.

**Stan put the paper away reluctantly, and Harry leaned against the window of the Knight Bus, feeling worse than ever. He couldn't help imagining what Stan might be telling his passengers in a few nights' time.**

**"'Ear about that 'Arry Potter? Blew up 'is aunt! We 'ad 'im 'ere on the Knight Bus, di'n't we, Ern? 'E was tryin' to run for it…"**

"You're such a pessimist, Harry," said Hermione with a wide smile.

Harry had the childish urge to stick his tongue out at her.

**The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry lay, restless and miserable, on his feather bed. After a while, Stan remembered that Harry had paid for hot chocolate, but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesey to Aberdeen. One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go.**

**Finally, Harry was the only passenger left. "Right then, Neville," said Stan, clapping his hands, "whereabouts in London?"**

**"Diagon Alley," said Harry.**

**"Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then."**

**BANG.**

**They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way. The sky was getting a little lighter.**

**Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.**

**"Thanks," Harry said to Ern.**

**He jumped down the steps and helped Stan lower his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the pavement. **

**"Well," said Harry. "Bye then!" **

**But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"There you are, Harry," said a voice.**

**Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Stan shouted,**

**"Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!"**

**Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach — he had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.**

**Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.**

**"What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly.**

**Fudge, a portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.**

**"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter."**

Several members of the Wizengamot rolled their eyes when Fudge wasn't glancing back.

** "I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!"**

**"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but he and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now…" **

**Fudge increased the pressure on Harry's shoulder, and Harry found himself being steered inside the pub. A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. **

**It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord. **

**"You've got him, Minister!" said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"**

**"Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge, who still hadn't let go of Harry.**

**There was a loud scraping and puffing from behind them, and Stan and Ern appeared, carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage and looking around excitedly. **

**"'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?" said Stan, beaming at Harry, while Ernie's owlish face peered interestedly over Stan's shoulder.**

**"And a private parlor, please, Tom," said Fudge pointedly.**

**"Bye," Harry said miserably to Stan and Ern as Tom beckoned Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar.**

**"Bye, Neville!" called Stan.**

The twins' grinned. Though this Stan didn't sound very bright, he was still quite amusing.

**Fudge marched Harry along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.**

**"Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire.**

**Harry sat down, feeling goose bumps rising up his arms despite the glow of the fire. Fudge took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down opposite Harry.**

**"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic."**

**Harry already knew this, of course; he had seen Fudge once before.**

Harry braced himself again to hear himself relive being under the Invisibility Cloak at Hagrid's, but to his surprise and confusion it never came.

**Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlor, closing the door behind him.**

**"Well, Harry." said Fudge, pouring out tea, "you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like! I'd started to think… but you're safe, and that what matters."**

Fudge was pretending to shuffle some papers around and, with very little hope, to distract the room from hearing this conversation.

**Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry.**

**"Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then…You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."**

A few members of the Wizengamot, including Madam Bones, narrowed their eyes at the Minister who had brought up during Harry's Hearing the accidental magic of blowing up his aunt with a completely different take on it.

Fudge yanked at the neck of his purple robes as he was starting to feel rather feverish with the many looks he was receiving.

**Fudge smiled at Harry over the rim of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying a favorite nephew.**

Harry snorted quietly.

**Harry, who couldn't believe his ears, opened his mouth to speak, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again.**

**"Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."**

"But he always does that!" said Ginny testily.

**Harry unstuck his throat.**

**"I always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."**

**"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone. "They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other — er — very deep down."**

Even a few members of the Wizengamot along with Harry's friends snorted at this comment.

**It didn't occur to Harry to put Fudge right. He was still waiting to hear what was going to happen to him now.**

**"So all that remains," said Fudge, now buttering himself a second crumpet, "is to decide where you're going to spend the last two weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the **

**Leaky Cauldron and…"**

**"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?"**

**Fudge blinked. "Punishment?"**

**"I broke the law!" Harry said. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"**

**"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently.**

Fudge wanted to be very far away from where he sat as more stares turned his way.

**"It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts! **

"That's not what you said during Da – Harry's hearing!" commented Al, as he fought back a smug expression. He had some sense to call his father by name. He had noticed Dad looking slightly twitchy when Lily would call him that, and he knew his father was becoming worried about too many people knowing.

There was a murmur in agreement to what Al had said, making the usually stubborn portly man turn slightly red as he looked down and shuffled more non-important papers.

**But this didn't tally at all with Harry's past dealings with the Ministry of Magic.**

** "Last year, I got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" he told Fudge, frowning. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"**

**Unless Harry's eyes were deceiving him, Fudge was suddenly looking awkward.**

Almost everyone was now glancing at the Minister.

**"Circumstances change, Harry…We have to take into account…in the present climate…Surely you don't want to be expelled?"**

**"Of course I don't," said Harry.**

**"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you."**

**Fudge strode out of the parlor and Harry stared after him. There was something extremely odd going on. Why had Fudge been waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron, if not to punish him for what he'd done? And now Harry came to think of it, surely it wasn't usual for the Minister of Magic himself to get involved in matters of underage magic?**

"And you wanted the whole Wizengamot for a hearing on Underage magic, which he had used to protect his Muggle _cousin_," snorted James.

"Why was there a hearing for that anyway?" said Tonks, who couldn't help herself as previous anger about Remus not being a qualified witness came back. "His cousin lives with Harry, and knows about magic, so why would his _cousin_ seeing magic mean Harry had to have an official hearing in this particular Court Room, no less?

Fudge was getting to his breaking point, as murmurs of agreement surrounded him.

"Unless you want to keep your job as an Auror, you should mind that tongue of yours," said Fudge moodily.

Tonks' hair turned a bright red, and a few people frowned.

Lupin was surprisingly trying to hold back his anger at Fudge. He hadn't known himself that he was this protective of the young witch, who apparently would become his wife. He glanced at Teddy who looked to be controlling himself as well before continuing to read with a hint of anger in his tone.

**Fudge came back, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper.**

**"Room eleven's free, Harry," said Fudge. "I think you'll be very comfortable just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand…I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."**

**"Okay," said Harry slowly, "but why?"**

**"Don't want to lose you again, do we?" said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no…best we know where you are…I mean…"**

**Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak.**

**"Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know…"**

**"Have you had any luck with Black yet?" Harry asked.**

**Fudge's finger slipped on the silver fastenings of his cloak.**

**"What's that? Oh, you've heard - well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed…and they are angrier than I've ever seen them."**

**Fudge shuddered slightly.**

**"So, I'll say good-bye."**

Madam Bones was frowning more often that she had in a while. Wouldn't it have been better if Potter knew about the danger? She glanced at Sirius Black. But, maybe, there wasn't any danger at all. She remembered going to school with Sirius, and that's what had surprised her when she heard he had sold Lily and James to You-Know-Who.

Though she probably didn't look it, she was a year younger than Sirius, and had quite the crush, but that feeling had surely passed after he had left school. He told her to stay in touch since they were friends, but she couldn't bring herself to do it since she knew he was dating someone else.

She had caught Sirius' eye after studying him longer than she should have. He looked up at her surprised and grinned at her, his grey eyes twinkling madly.

Fudge cleared his throat irritably.

She felt herself blushing as if she was back at Hogwarts and quickly looked away to continue reading.

Sirius knew it wasn't possible that the _Ms._ Amelia could be checking him out, but it brightened his mood as he grinned up at her. He had liked Amelia quite a lot back at Hogwarts, but they were in different houses and it would've been difficult to be in a relationship. He wondered why she never got in touch, but as he looked at her with the spectacles she didn't really need, and how high up she was in the Ministry it was no wonder. Even so, maybe if he did come out of this as a free man he would pluck up the courage to ask her to grab a bite to eat with him.

**He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, had a sudden idea.**

**"Er — Minister? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Certainly," said Fudge with a smile.**

**"Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmede, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could –?"**

** Fudge was looking uncomfortable.**

**"Ah," he said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian —"**

**"But you're the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission…"**

**"No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly.**

**"Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't…yes…well, I'll be off. Enjoy your stay, Harry."**

"I'm sure if the _Minister of Magic_ signed his bloody form he could've gone," muttered Bill as he rolled his eyes.

**And with a last smile and shake of Harry's hand, Fudge left the room. Tom now moved forward, beaming at Harry.**

**"If you'll follow me, Mr. Potter," he said, "I've already taken your things up…"**

**Harry followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for him. **

**Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe — **

**"Hedwig!" Harry gasped.**

**The snowy owl clicked her beak and fluttered down onto Harry's arm.**

**"Very smart owl you've got there," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did.**

Charlie smiled.

**If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask." **

**He gave another bow and left. **

**Harry sat on his bed for a long time, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig. The sky outside the window was changing rapidly from deep, velvety blue to cold, steely gray and then, slowly, to pink shot with gold. Harry could hardly believe that he'd left Privet Drive only a few hours ago, that he wasn't expelled, and that he was now facing three completely Dursley-free weeks.**

**"It's been a very weird night, Hedwig," he yawned.**

**And without even removing his glasses, he slumped back onto his pillows and fell asleep.**

"And that's the end of this chapter," said Madam Bones, her blush finally disappearing from her staring at Sirius.

"I reckon we can have a break," said Teddy. "Maybe Unc - Percy could grab a trolley and get some snacks?"

There were nods in agreement, and in quiet groups began to talk about what they just read.

Percy quickly left the courtroom madly wondering where he was going to get a trolley of food.

* * *

I'm so proud of myself that I updated in less then a week! *pats self on back*

Your reviews are quite amazing, so I thought I should say thank you(:

So! Anyone guess what future Lucius is up to yet? :D

For the Romione fans that have actually kept reading you guys should be really proud. I know it's hard when fan fic's totally crush your OTP's, and I wanted to thank you(:

I forgot what your username is, but I'll answer your question anyway. The books are going to stay with canon, but there is no epilogue to the end of the 7th book. Hope that answered it!

Thank you everyone so much for reading, and these reviews really motivate me to update faster, which I hope to do again very soon!(:

***if there are grammar mistakes I apologize in advance since I must have been too excited to update and missed something...


	38. Chapter 38: The Leaky Cauldron

As everyone ate what Percy managed to scrounge up, Harry ran over to talk to Teddy whose turquoise hair stood out against the crowd.

"Teddy, has someone been tampering with the book?" said Harry bewildered, and was glad Wizengamot members weren't nearby.

"What d'you mean, Harry?" asked Hermione, who happened to be near talking to Lupin about S.P.E.W.

"Some of my thoughts weren't read, and they're not in the book either..." Harry eyed Teddy's widening grin.

"Come off it, Harry, why would you think that?" said Teddy with mock surprise. "Kingsley had it checked out."

Harry waited impatiently.

"You can't honestly believe I would let the Ministry know _everything; a_bout you both going back in time, the Marauders Map…" Teddy raised an eyebrow.

"So, you mean, the book was edited?" said Hermione quietly.

Teddy nodded. "When Sirius is hopefully declared an innocent man we can go back to the Room of Requirement and read what was, Er," Teddy paused with side glance towards Hermione. "…edited."

Harry nodded and then remembered his fear from earlier.

"Teddy," said Harry. "You think it wise to bring Lily, James, and Al, here?"

Teddy hesitated. "Not really, but they needed to be watched, and they wanted to come. Not like anyone really knows who they are anyway."

Harry suddenly looked worried.

"Is there something you're not telling me, Harry?" Teddy had been studying his God-father and he was wearing a familiar look he'd seen him wear often.

Hermione looked surprised between the two.

Harry ushered the two into a corner, until he felt comfortable no one was going to hear, and continued to tell them all about future Lucius pretending to be Blaise Zabini.

"WHAT?" yelled Hermione, making several people look over curious.

Harry shushed her.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" said Teddy seriously. "I'm sure the whole Order could've easily taken him down."

"He threatened Lily's life," stressed Harry. "You think I want to risk that?"

Teddy sighed and put his hand through his hair; a habit he had picked up from living with his God-father for so long.

"At least Snape stayed back. He can watch over the books."

Harry and Hermione looked confused.

"Anyone can pick up and copy the book," explained Teddy. "The future books especially in the wrong hands… the future would definitely be different."

Something clicked in Harry's head. "Do you think Lucius, Er, Blaise, is manipulating Ron?"

"WHAT?" repeated Hermione, a hint of panic in her tone.

More and more were becoming curious with Harry Potter's conversation.

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" said Harry. "I think Lu – Blaise knew what to make Ron snap. And everyone believes, to a point, that Ron is trustworthy. That's why L – Blaise wanted him! It just means we have to convince Ron that he's good." Harry became quieter. "I don't know if it's too late."

Hermione looked to be nearly in tears making Harry alarmed. "Are you okay?"

"It just – it _does_ explain everything. But I mean – " Hermione bit her lip. "How are we to become friends again? If he does, he'll think I like him, and I don't want to put him through that again because I'm with Charlie."

Harry put an arm around her shoulders. "But we have to try," he said quietly.

Teddy pinched the bridge of his nose. Who knew time travelling would be this complicated?

"I'll try to figure out a plan with dealing with Lu – Blaise, and you two need to get the real Ron back. You need him, no matter how much a prat he may act like." said Teddy earnestly.

Harry and Hermione exchanged determined looks. They'd get Ron back.

"Could Blaise have tampered with Ron's – "

Harry was interrupted by Fudge who was declaring he was a very busy man and the sooner the book is done the better.

Teddy looked worried, knowing what Harry suspected. That Lucius may have tampered with Ron's brain, but whispered quickly, "It's possible."

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other worriedly.

Hermione quickly ran up the stands as Teddy and Harry sat down on the couch with Lily.

"Are you okay?" asked Charlie worriedly as he gripped her hand.

"Fine," said Hermione faintly.

Charlie didn't look convinced.

"Who else knows about this?" whispered Teddy quickly.

"Malfoy, I think Narcissa suspects it, and Snape,"

_Which means Dumbledore, _added Teddy in his head relieved.

"I'll read next," offered Bill.

Madam Bones was about to hand it to him, before Fudge added snidely. "And what's to say Harry Potter's friend may skip something in this book?"

Amelia doubted it, but shrugged before handing it to Lauren Fellern whom she knew loved to read.

Bill scowled as Fellern pushed her large glasses up the bridge of her nose, while spitting her curly graying hair out of her face before stating: "**The Leaky Cauldron**."

**It took Harry several days to get used to his strange new freedom. Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world.**

**Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava.**

A few people looked disgusted.

**After breakfast Harry would go out into the backyard, take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bin, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall.**

**Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases ("It's a lunascope, old boy — no more messing around with moon charts, see?") or else discussing the case of Sirius Black ("Personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban").**

Sirius rolled his eyes.

**Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour.**

A few people smiled, others looked surprisingly jealous. It was no secret that Florean had the best ice cream in Diagon Alley. To chat and get free sundaes made others envy the teen no matter how childish it was.

**Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once. He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point).**

To Harry's amusement he could faintly hear members of the Wizengamot discuss their own experiences with the game.

**He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson. But the thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. **

**Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards until he glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life.**

**"Just come out — prototype —" a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion.**

**"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" squeaked a boy younger than Harry, who was swinging off his father's arm.**

Harry smiled broadly at Sirius who grinned back. It had been Harry's best present, and most certainly worth all of the holidays his aunt and uncle had pretended they had forgotten to buy him a gift.

Sirius felt certain his eyes were twinkling as if he was Dumbledore. It had been tricky as a wanted fugitive to buy Harry the Firebolt, but it had been worth it in the end to see him fly it. A natural, just like James…

**"Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. "And they're favorites for the World Cup!"**

Harry wished Ron was besides him so they could animatedly discuss the World Cup results like many others were doing in the Wizengamot.

**A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he was able to read the sign next to the broom**

**_** THE FIREBOLT **_**

**_THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART RACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND-NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST_****.**

Harry tried not to laugh at the few dreamy expressions in the Wizengamot.

Hermione had to step on Charlie's foot to get him out of his trance, much to her amusement, momentarily distracting her of her thoughts about Ron.

**Price on request…Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life —**

Harry had to disagree with his past self. But of course, his priorities have changed in the past two years.

**but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already? Harry didn't ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt.**

**There were, however, things that Harry needed to buy. He went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.**

**Harry got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.**

Harry and Hermione exchanged amused looks.

**Harry pulled his booklist out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. ****_The Monster Book of Monsters_**** was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would become useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet.**

Those who knew Hagrid couldn't help but chuckle, but as Harry looked closer at the toad-faced woman whose face had come into a clearer view, he was sure he'd seen a flash of pure loathing.

**As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him.**

**"Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "I need —"**

**"Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage.**

**"Hang on," said Harry quickly, "I've already got one of those."**

**"Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning —"**

**A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.**

Hermione was starting to believe being a part-time book keeper would be stressful.

**"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the ****_Invisible Book of Invisibility _****— cost a fortune, and we never found them…**

"Those _had _been a disaster," whispered Charlie to Hermione as he chuckled under his breath as he remembered seeing the sign stating the book was now being sold only to be told they had been misplaced, and were nowhere to be found.

**Well…is there anything else I can help you with?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist, "I need ****_Unfogging the Future _****by Cassandra Vablatsky."**

**"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager,**

"Load of rubbish that is," said Hermione testily.

Charlie was too afraid what would happen if he dared to ask why.

**stripping off his gloves and leading Harry into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling. A small table was stacked with volumes such as ****_Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul._**

**"Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black-bound book. "****_Unfogging the Future_****. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods — palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails."**

Hermione snorted loudly.

Harry looked up, and grinned, remembering seeing _the_ Hermione Granger actually walk out of a class.

**But Harry wasn't listening. His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: ****_Death Omens — What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming._**

Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend.

The twins thought sadly of their relative that had been the life of all parties and had died because of a death omen.

**"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death."**

**But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar….**

_No wonder Peter Pettigrew started to fear my Animagus_, thought Sirius to himself as he smirked.

**The manager pressed ****_Unfogging the Future _****into Harry's hands.**

**"Anything else?" he said.**

**"Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. "Er — I need ****_Intermediate Transfiguration _****and ****_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three."_**

**Harry emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with his new books under his arms and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people.**

**He tramped up the stairs to his room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed. Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen Muggle street behind him and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley. He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin.**

**"It can't have been a death omen," he told his reflection defiantly. "I was panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent…It was probably just a stray dog…"**

"You honestly thought that I was the Grim?" whispered Sirius bewildered.

"Not like you were exactly inviting," muttered Harry defensively.

**He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat**

**"You're fighting a losing battle there, dear," said his mirror in a wheezy voice.**

Sirius and Lupin exchanged grins knowing how true that was.

**As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt; he also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't stop to chat; Neville appeared to have mislaid his booklist and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother. Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic.**

Neville allowed himself an uncharacteristic smirk.

**Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express. He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned. **

**"Harry! HARRY!"**

**They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor — Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him.**

**"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, ad Madam Malkin's and – "**

** "I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"**

**"Dad," said Ron simply.**

**Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge.**

Many turned to look at Mr. Weasley whose ears were starting to turn a bright maroon.

**"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice.**

**"I didn't mean to," said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. "I just — lost control."**

"And for a good reason to," muttered Bones under her breath.

**"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."**

**"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron.**

**"Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"**

**"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me.**

Mrs. Weasley allowed herself a smirk as the rest of the Weasley's exchanged looks knowing how true those words were.

**Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"**

Mr. Weasley knew the only reason they had decided to stay at the Leaky Cauldron was to watch over Harry without gaining suspicion.

**Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."**

**"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"**

**"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books —" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."**

**"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her.**

**"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I," said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies —"**

A few people raised their eyebrows and Charlie looked down at Hermione surprised who promptly blushed. Though she had gotten excellent grades of course in every subject (besides Divination) that had been one of the most stressful years for her academically, and the time turner was making her go bonkers! She had actually missed one of Flitwick's classes!

**"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"**

**"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the Wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.**

Though witches and wizards were not prejudice against those who are Muggle born, it came to a shock to some of the Wizengamot that a Muggle-born witch would be taking so many classes.

**"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered. Hermione ignored them.**

"Definitely didn't get any sleep," said Hermione to herself wryly.

**"I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."**

**"How about a nice ****_book_****? said Ron innocently.**

A few people snorted.

**"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol —"**

**"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket.**

Those who knew what the rat truly was stiffened.

**"And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."**

"Is this rat, Scabbers, actually Peter Pettigrew?" asked Lauren, before pink splotches appeared on her cheeks.

"The very same," said Sirius seriously.

Almost all the Wizengamot's eyes widened.

**Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers.**

_Because he knew I had escaped_, thought Sirius, glad he had caused Peter to worry.

**"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."**

**So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie.**

**There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing. The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages.**

**A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails.**

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she saw Charlie smiling at the descriptions of all the animals.

**The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter.**

**"It's my rat," he told the witch. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."**

**"Bang him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket.**

**Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping trick and scuffled to the wire for a better look.**

**Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.**

**"Hm," said the witch, picking up Scabbers. "How old is this rat?"**

**"Dunno," said Ron. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother."**

**"What powers does he have?" said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.**

**"Er —" The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers.**

Lupin and Sirius smirked.

**The witch's eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing**,

"The rat was missing a toe," said Amelia Bones quietly to herself as many others were thinking the same.

**and tutted loudly.**

**"He's been through the mill, this one," she said.**

**"He was like that when Percy gave him to me," said Ron defensively.**

**"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch. "Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these —"**

**She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again. Ron muttered, "Show-offs."**

**"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.**

**"Okay," said Ron. "How much — OUCH!"**

**Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.**

Sirius grinned madly.

**"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.**

**"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed.**

**It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head.**

It almost disgusted the Weasley family reading about Scabbers as they had been informed that Peter Pettigrew had actually been the family rat. Percy, on the hand, had no idea about Scabbers.

Harry had a sudden thought. Wouldn't the twin's have noticed on the map that Ron had been sleeping in bed supposedly with a man called Peter Pettigrew? Harry had to forcefully stop a grin from taking over his face as he imagined the twin's expressions of seeing such a thing.

**"What ****_was _****that?"**

**"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger," said Harry.**

Hermione scowled playfully at Harry, who only grinned back.

Charlie knew it had to be a Weasley thing to be so protective, but he couldn't help himself from squeezing Hermione's hand tighter.

"Does your Aunt still keep that orange beast?" asked Harry as he chuckled to Lily.

Lily nodded enthusiastically with a wide grin. Aunt Hermione had told her all about how after the Battle of Hogwarts Crookshanks almost magically showed up. Lily adored the cat, which made her Aunt very proud.

**"Where's Hermione?"**

**"Probably getting her owl."**

**They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie.**

**As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.**

** "You ****_bought _****that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open.**

**"He's ****_gorgeous_****, isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing.**

**That was a matter of opinion, thought Harry.**

Harry continued to grin at Hermione as her scowl became deeper.

** The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms.**

**"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron.**

**"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione.**

**"And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"**

**"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him."**

**"Wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron.**

Harry wished to have back his best friend. He didn't truly realize how much he missed Ron until now, but his fourth year was close to how he was feeling right now.

**They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the ****_Daily Prophet_****.**

**"Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are you?"**

**"Fine, thanks," said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with their shopping.**

**Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him.**

**"They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked.**

**"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."**

Sirius was continuing to grin broadly knowing he had outsmarted the whole Ministry.

**"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money —"**

The Weasley's sighed.

**"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained.**

**"Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."**

_That was a matter of opinion_, thought Harry, when it had really been both.

**At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny.**

**Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered "hello" without looking at him.**

"Prat," said Ginny, just loud enough for Harry to hear who only winked at her as she stuck out her tongue.

A sudden thought struck Ginny right then. Wasn't she supposed to be dating Michael Corner?

Ginny groaned under her breath.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" whispered Hermione.

"Remember what I told you the end of last year?"

Understanding immediately took over Hermione's face who then had to muffle her giggling with both hands. Charlie was looking at her as if she had grown an extra head.

"It's not funny!" said Ginny slightly panicky.

"You'll have a lot of explaining to do, I guess, especially if you, Harry, Al, Lily, and James went to Diagon Alley and they're calling you 'Mum'," Hermione had a wide grin on her face.

Ginny's eyes widened. What was she going to do? She doubted Harry even knew she was currently dating anyone! _Like my life needed more complications, _thought Ginny sarcastically.

**Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you."**

**"Hello, Percy," said Harry, trying not to laugh.**

**"I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was rather like being introduced to the mayor.**

**"Very well, thanks —"**

**"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply ****_splendid _****to see you, old boy —"**

**"Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing."**

Almost everyone was trying not to laugh, and Fred and George promptly gave each other enthusiastic handshakes.

**Percy scowled.**

**"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley. **

**"Mum!" said Fred, as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand, too. "How really corking to see you —"**

Ginny had to stifle her giggling, and she noticed that others seemed to be coughing quite an awful lot…

**"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.**

**"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.**

Teddy smirked, thinking about Ron becoming a Prefect this year.

**"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."**

**"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."**

**Ginny giggled.**

**"You want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner…"**

**He disappeared and George heaved a sigh.**

**"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry. "But Mom spotted us."**

Ginny felt rather disappointed.

Percy scowled at his shoes.

**Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses.**

**"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.**

**"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.**

**Everyone looked up at him.**

**"Why?" said Percy curiously.**

**"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them—"**

**"— for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.**

**Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.**

Mrs. Weasley turned to look at her husband who had suddenly sparked a conversation at that exact moment with Bill on how Egypt was going.

Lily was starting to worry if a cold was being passed around the room as almost the whole room was coughing.

**"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.**

**"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "and as I work there, they're doing me a favor…"**

**His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Wesley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under pressure.**

Harry suddenly wished Ron was here, and instead he and Hermione had to impatiently wait to start talking to Ron until they were back in the Room of Requirement.

**"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground…You are all packed, aren't you?" **

**"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed." **

**"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy.**

Harry imagined that Ron would've done it again if he was here.

**After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to Harry. He had just closed and locked his own trunk when he heard angry voices through the wall, and went to see what was going on.**

**The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting.**

**"It was ****_here_****, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing —"**

**"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back.**

**"What's up?" said Harry.**

**"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry.**

"Honestly, who actually polishes their badge?" asked James in a carrying voice.

The twins high-fived their future nephew, and Percy scowled.

**"So's Scabber's Rat Tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've leftit in the bar – "**

** "You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.**

**"I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Harry said to Ron, and he went downstairs.**

**Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'. He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlor door.**

Mrs. Weasley paled, and Arthur was curious to how much Harry had known.

**"…makes no sense not to tell him," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and —"**

Mr. Weasley was starting to blush rapidly as Fudge had turned around to glare.

**"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's ****_happy _****not knowing!"**

**"I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves — they've even ended up in the Forbidden Forest! But Harry mustn't do that this year! When I think what could have happened to him that night he ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him."**

Sirius shook his head, knowing that everyone believing he was a murderer was going to be tiring to hear.

**"But he's ****_not _****dead, he's fine, so what's the point —"**

**"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the ****_Daily Prophet_****, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after —"**

There were nods in the Wizengamot, remembering that they hadn't had a clue where to find Sirius Black when he escaped.

**"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."**

**"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."**

**"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry —"**

**There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table.**

**"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Blacks been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts…he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that…"**

There was silence in the Wizengamot

"What did you mean 'he's at Hogwarts'?" asked Amelia curiously, feeling since this book was part of trial she had the right to question anything involving Sirius Black.

"Pettigrew," said Sirius. "The paper the Minster had given to me had the Weasley family's picture on it from when they went to Hogwarts. I would recognize that rat from anywhere which had been on Ron Weasley's shoulder." Sirius hesitated. "And I did lose everything that night when Voldemort murdered Harry's parents,"

Harry thought Sirius looked more saddened and depressed than he had ever seen him.

"But Lily and James's legacy lives on," said Sirius quietly, glancing at Harry who gave back a small, sad smile.

Almost everyone in the room felt they were being intrusive hearing this, but shook off the feeling. This was a courtroom; privacy wasn't given.

**There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more.**

**"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's Headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?"**

Ginny was seriously starting to question the safety of Hogwarts. It seemed to be opposite of any definition of "safe".

**"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."**

**"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"**

**"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that…but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."**

**"If they save Harry —"**

**"– then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up…"**

Understanding went through Mr. Weasley just then. That's why Harry hadn't been angry or wanting to search for Sirius. He had missed the part of the conversation where Sirius was his God-Father and was friends with Lily and James.

**Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs.**

**The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle.**

**Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge.**

**"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it."**

**The badge now read ****_Bigheaded Boy_****.**

"Improvement indeed," smirked Ginny, making the twin's have identical grins, but as they caught their mother's eye they started to whistle innocently.

Mrs. Weasley wasn't fooled.

**Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed.**

**So Sirius Black was after him. This explained everything. Fudge had been lenient with him because he was so relieved to find him alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train.**

**Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared.**

Some of the Wizengamot were surprised. Wouldn't an escaped mass murder on the loose that was supposedly coming after you be a good enough reason to be frightened?

**Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth. But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him?**

Sirius quietly snorted, but also agreed. Dumbledore could be intimidating.

**And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless, and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote.**

_Being a dog did have its perks,_ thought Sirius cheerfully.

**No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero. Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed.**

**He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself? He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless…**

**Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind****_. What to do when you know the worst is coming_**

**"I'm ****_not _****going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.**

**"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.**

"And that's the end of the chapter," said Lauren, who passed it to her right, and pretended not to see the glare from the frizzy witch who had voted against Harry being cleared from all charges.

She cleared her throat angrily and read: "**The Dementor**,"

* * *

And suddenly, my life went *kaboom*. I have to finish my class for summer school this month so I've been busy to catch up. Also, my dog that I have lived with for 8 years had to be put down and it really made me not in the mood to write. Look, I know my updating skills suck, and I'm sorry, but there's a difference between "please update soon!" and "took you long enough". There's also a difference between constructive criticism and downright telling me the reasons why you hate my story. BUT, though these negative reviews dampen my mood A LOT, I'm trying to just see the good ones and keep writing(: So, thank you everyone for sticking with this story. AAAAnd sorry for my ranting xD

Oh! Good news! I've figured how I'm going to explain Ron in the end! I'm excited!

And no one's has actually guessed what Lucius is going to do... :D

I don't know if anyone here likes Glee (I used to, but it became too much drama based) but Cory who played Finn Hudson passed away :(  
Rest In Peace to him.

Also, if anyone reading is part of the group Fandom Rehab on Facebook you are automatically labeled as an awesome person(;

(I apologize about any grammatical errors and this wasn't one of my better chapters, sorry)


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